Pokemon: Marcus' Myriad Menagerie
by KimiyounaKamira
Summary: Every Pokemon Trainer has a story to tell, and every story that's ever told always takes a turn for the strange and/or bizarre eventually. Marcus Lyre is no exception to these rules. With a Zorua for a sister, a princess for a starter, and an attraction to spicy foods that will one day get him in the worst trouble imaginable, you can bet Marcus will have a god-tier story to tell!
1. Entry 1: The Princess and the Fox

My year has been... bizarre, to say the least. I've done everything from taking down a terrorist organization, battling God, literally being murdered, making friends with my murderer, learning the difference between shenanigans and "real" magic, and becoming a fugitive of the law over a crime I didn't... actually, I shouldn't say that. I kinda did commit the crime I'm accused of. But it's hardly a crime worth bothering over, really, especially when I'm literally right next to a serial murderer. But... I guess I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning.

My name is Marcus Lyre. I'm 15 at the time I've started writing this journal, but the story itself starts about a year ago, on my 14th birthday. The day kids receive their first Pokemon from their region's professor and begin their journey as Pokemon Trainers. I practically shot out of bed that morning, five minutes before my alarm was set to go off. (That put me at 6:55 AM, for those of you curious.) I was practically generating a windstorm in my room getting ready. I ran to the bathroom to brush my teeth, back to my dresser to grab my glasses, and then to my closet to start getting my clothes on. This whole segment alone would have taken me barely two minutes, but on my way to my closet, in my haste, I tripped over my sleeping sister.

Now this part may call for an explanation. The reason my sister was sleeping on the ground, where I could trip over her, is because my sister's a Zorua - shiny, I should mention - named Marie. The reason I call a Zorua my sister is because I've been taking care of her for the past three years, ever since her old trainer - my brother - died, and she and I have bonded quite a bit in that time. And for those of you with a certain mindset, she and I are siblings. That's it. Don't get any ideas.

"Oops, sorry Marie," I called as I stumbled back to my feet, not missing a beat as I continued to my closet and started picking out my outfit. Bluejeans, a black T-shirt with a design depicting a Zoroark charging, but only its hair and claws were visible in crimson, a light casual jacket the bottom half of which was white, and the top half primarily yellow, with a black border, overall evoking the image of an Ultra Ball, and a cap that was a simple beige, with the exception of a leaf design over the top that's supposed to resemble the leaf on the head of a Bayleef, but it really didn't look that good in my opinion. (Still I wore it...)

"Zor..." Marie grumbled groggily as she got back to her feet, returned her bed to where it was before I messed it up, and turned to me. She then did that signature leap into a backflip Zorua do before they "transform" themselves with an illusion. When Marie landed, she had transformed into her preferred human form, a girl about my age wearing a somewhat outlandish black and purple outfit, with what I can only assume was a hat, though it looked more like a sponge one would use to wash a car. Not quite her normal color scheme - a sharp contrast to her regular blue highlights, in fact - though it was the color scheme she'd have once she evolved into a Zoroark. Her hair was long, bunched into two rows hanging about halfway down her back, and with purple highlights among a somewhat natural black, once again similar to how she'd look as a Zoroark. She, too, wore glasses, like I did. Marie claims that her form is based on a pop star my brother used to like, but I'd never seen nor heard of a pop star that looked like she did now.

"What the hell is you're rush this morning, Marcus?" Marie asked as she rubbed her eyes. "You don't usually kick me that hard in the morning."

I couldn't help but chuckle. The truth was I had a tendency to accidentally bump her with my foot some mornings, but don't get the wrong idea. This was the first time I'd actually tripped over her like that. "Good morning to you too, sis," I replied as I finished getting my jacket on. I adjusted it so the front remained open, that way the Zoroark design on my shirt remained visible. "Sorry, I wanted to get ready quickly to-" I suddenly bit my tongue, only at that instant remembering that I hadn't told Marie what I was doing today, and that I wasn't going to tell her. She had a tendency to get jealous at times. If she found out I was going out to get a starter Pokemon today, she probably wouldn't have taken the news very well, and I'd most likely arrive at Professor Rowan's lab with claw marks all over my face. "I was, um... my mom wanted to take me out shopping for my birthday, but she wanted to get an early start, so I had to rush to get ready. Yeah, that's it..."

Marie eyed me strangely for a moment. It was here that I realized that I said that last bit out loud, but I had to keep my cool. She was about to say something, but it was at this moment that my alarm went off, startling us both, and I guess derailing Marie's train of thought. I quickly ran around Marie and turned the alarm off before turning back to her so she could speak her piece. "Shopping, huh?" the Zorua-girl asked. "Well, if you say so. But please leave me out of it, because I still need another two hours of sleep to get my full 14 for the night." She then turned around back to her bed. It was at this point that I took note of the flaw in Marie's illusion that all Zorua had: a fluffy black tail protruding from just above her backside, strangely enough appearing through where her shirt covers her belt line. Literally through her clothes. It was at that moment I had to remind myself that those clothes weren't real, just as the body I saw wasn't. (Okay, yeah, I'm starting to see how my words can be seen as creepy...)

Deciding that I'd fooled Marie to an adequate degree for now, I finished getting ready, not that I had much more to put on. My cap, a digital watch with a Sunflora pattern worn on my left wrist, mostly hidden by the cuff of my jacket, and on my right ring finger, a ring that contained a ruby with an orange flame pattern inside it. My father had left that for me before he left to join the Braviary Force, but that's a story for another time. I was just about to walk out the door when I heard Marie clear her throat. I turned around to see that Marie was still in her human form, but now she was holding out what I could only assume to be a cupcake with a candle in it. Honestly, it looked like a sad pile of frosting with sprinkles on it. I was, however, impressed that it at least looked like it was free of salmonella or anything of the sort.

"Happy birthday, Marcus," Marie said as she held the cupcake out. I walked over and took the cupcake from her hands. "I'm not that good at baking, but I wanted to do something for you this year." As I eyed the cupcake closely, Marie added, "It's vanilla, and I mixed a Ghastly Pepper in the batter as well. I know those are both your favorite."

Now that was something that impressed me. Very few people knew that I liked spicy foods, and I'd never even told Marie about this. "Wow, really?" I asked, doing a poor job of hiding my enthusiasm. Marie nodded, and I blew out the candle. I wouldn't tell anyone, and I'm aware this sounds childish, but when I blew out the candle, I wished for an exciting journey as a Pokemon Trainer, one in which I'd learn more about myself, and hopefully meet a family I'd have a long life's worth of adventures alongside.

Marie, of course, being part of that family.

The rest of that morning was somewhat uneventful, sans me wolfing Marie's cupcake down and proceeding to learn Flamethrower. I drank a lot of milk before I left my house... Marie went back to bed, and I left with my mom to Professor Rowan's lab. Not too long a trip, since I lived in Jubilife City, thus making the trip less than a kilometer to the south, but we left by car anyway. Mom wasn't much of a trainer, so if we ran into any wild Pokemon walking, we'd have been in trouble. (I also didn't want to get Marie into a battle until my journey officially started.)

Almost in the blink of an eye, we had arrived. I saw some aspiring new trainers walking out as we walked up. I saw one with a Turtwig, one with a Piplup, and one with... an Espeon? I found that rather strange, but I didn't have time to think about that. I was there for one reason and one reason only: to get my own starter Pokemon.

Most of what happened next was a blur because of how excited I was. I met Professor Rowan, shook his hand, he gave a little speech, I was greeted by a few lab assistants, I think I said hi back, and before I knew it, I was at that fateful table that all new trainers stand before. The one upon which the three starter Pokemon stood. To my left was Turtwig, the Grass starter. He looked really shy and almost scared to be there. My eyes met his, and the poor thing started to shake. If I was the kind of guy who acted out of pity, I probably would have picked him then and there. You know, so I could help him grow up a little. Unfortunately, that was the next poor sap's problem. I moved on to the Pokemon in the middle, Chimchar, the Fire starter. In almost direct contrast to Turtwig, Chimchar looked rather excited to be there. A smile was plastered on his face, and he looked like he'd been told repeatedly to sit still while trainers were here. That last thing, I could only discern because he was bouncing a bit as he was standing there. Yeah... also not a problem I was willing to handle. Finally, to my right, the Water starter, Piplup. Now this one here, I could tell she was much different. She had her flippers crossed, and her beak turned up and away from her companions. Almost as though she couldn't have cared less about being there. Rather, she had somewhere to be, and me being here was a detriment to her time.

I'd made my decision well before I even woke up this morning, but it was in this moment here that I knew in my heart that my decision was the right one. My starter, the one with whom I'd begin my journey to becoming a Pokemon Master...


	2. Entry 2: Marie Lyre

It was just like any ordinary night. My trainer, Bonnie Lyre, usually worked the night shift keeping watch at a children's pizza parlor, and he liked to have myself and my biological brother, Shawn, who was a Mareep, out to keep him company. I'm aware that my trainer has a feminine name, and I've asked him about it before, but I never did get a clear answer. One thing I was impressed by, however, was how much Bonnie resembled his younger brother, Marcus. They even wore similar clothing, the only differences being Bonnie's cap, which was cyan with a design resembling a golden lyre, (the instrument that looks like a tiny harp), his jacket better resembled a Great Ball, and the ring he wore was aquamarine with the design of a water droplet on it. Everything else they wore was identical, including the Zoroark T-shirt. (Frankly, I always felt flattered by them wearing this shirt.) As for my brother, Shawn... he was a regular Mareep. I wonder if he was ever jealous that I was shiny and he was rather mundane. Not to sound cynical, that is.

Anyway, there the three of us were that night, in Bonnie's somewhat cramped office. It was about 2 in the morning, but no one was falling asleep yet, thanks to coffee and a deck of cards. Bonnie and Shawn were playing this card game Bonnie had taught us called Bastion Breach. I was no good at the game, so I didn't play too often. The games Bonnie and Shawn had, though, were almost fiery, and I always had fun just watching them. Though I did sometimes wonder how Shawn held his cards. For me, my paws are a little bit dexterous, so I could hold cards with some effort, but Shawn had hooves, so the way he held cards was always a mystery...

Partway through their third tiebreaker round, one of the motion sensor alarms went off in the parlor. Bonnie set his cards down and checked the monitors. Sure enough, there was an intruder. An imposing man wearing primarily black, including a leather jacket, accompanied by a Sandslash. He managed to avoid the primary alarm system, so it was pretty evident that he was there for less than honorable reasons. The backup alarm he'd tripped was silent, only alerting Bonnie, leaving him to handle whatever was happening. He called the police, but they wouldn't be there for about five minutes. We had to act if we wanted to stop any potential damage.

I wish we'd just hid and waited for the police...

Sure enough, Bonnie moved out, and the two of us followed him closely. The intruder was headed for the vault where all the money was held, according to Bonnie's analysis of the situation. Sure enough, once we got to the room towards the back of the building where the vault was, the man was already working to hack the system. And by that, I mean he was having his Sandslash tear through the steel vault door. He was almost through when Bonnie, Shawn, and I arrived. Bonnie was quick to charge the man and tackle him to the ground. Shawn jumped in with him, leaving me to handle the Sandslash, since Shawn's Electric-type attacks would've been useless against that foe.

I wasn't a fool. I knew Sandslash was an evolved Pokemon, and thus was much stronger than I was. However, I was smaller and more nimble, thus, I had the advantage of agility on my side. My strategy was completely formulated in the time it took me to charge my target. I started by leaping up and baring my fangs down on the Sandslash's right arm, one of its few weak points. A Sandslash's arms and legs are the only spots on its body it can't easily cover with spines or claws. Its belly might seem like a prime target, but attacking that point leaves you vulnerable to its claws. Attacking its arm would disable a claw, however. That's what I was thinking, at least. I didn't do nearly as much damage as I could have if I actually knew Bite or Crunch, but I could tell I broke its skin as I could taste blood. I know I'm supposed to be a predator, but I REALLY hate the taste of blood. Still, I held myself there and shook, attempting to do all the damage I could before the Sandslash regained its bearing and tried to attack me with its free arm. I saw the attack coming out of the corner of my eye and leapt out of the way as fast as I could. I took the outer edge of its Slash, but I didn't take much damage, so I was able to recover quickly and dash out the Sandslash's range for a moment. I took a split second to examine the damage I'd done. Its arm was bleeding a little, but I didn't do as much damage as I'd wanted to. Still, that's where Phase Two of my plan came into play. I rushed forward as fast as I could and attacked the Sandslash's injured arm with a Scratch, and kept running forward after I'd attacked, getting behind the Sandslash. This was my plan. Run forward, use Scratch on the same spot where I'd bitten it, run away, repeat. The Sandslash couldn't move fast enough to counter my attacks, and it got weaker and weaker with each pass I made. The last time I was able to take a second to observe the damage I did, the Sandslash had dropped to a knee, and there was a small puddle of blood around it. I just needed a few more hits before-

BANG!

The sound echoed throughout the building, and it was loud enough to stop me in my tracks. The sound had come from that same room I was in. I turned to the source of the noise, dreading what it could have been. What I saw was Bonnie lying on the ground, motionless, with the intruder standing over him with a strange L-shaped object in his hand, the end of which was smoking. Shawn seemed paralyzed, gripped with fear all of a sudden, as the man aimed the object at him next. My brother attacked the man with Thunderbolt, but he was unaffected.

"Don't you think I did my homework?" the man asked in a deep and gravelly voice. "I knew about you, little Mareep. I also knew that a pair of rubber soles for my shoes were the solution to the problem you'd cause." Suddenly, there was another BANG, accompanied by a flash from the object in the man's hand. Shawn was thrown backward a bit before he crumpled to the ground.

A gun. That was what the man had in his hand. It was in this instant that I was finally able to process what had happened. I looked at Bonnie, and he had a wound in his chest from which blood had been gushing out. The blood flow had stopped at this point, though. I looked over at Shawn. There was a similar wound right between his eyes, which were stuck wide open and glazed over, with a red tint to them. I almost wanted to throw up. In a matter of seconds, my trainer and my brother had both been gunned down by a stranger I'd never seen before, but apparently existed just to shatter my life to pieces.

I'd been in a trance-like state as all this was happening. Time had seemed to slow down around me as I tried to process what had happened. However, I was snapped back to reality when the Sandslash came up behind me and struck me with a powerful Slash to my back, knocking me forward towards the man. I skidded across the floor on my face, stopping right next to Shawn's body. I looked to my right and saw Shawn's lifeless eyes staring back at me. Desperate to look at anything other than that gruesome sight, I looked up, and saw the man standing over me, his gun aimed directly down at me.

"Those two banged me up good, but you caused my Sandslash a lot of pain, you little shit!" the man shouted as he gave me a kick square in the gut. This kick knocked the wind out of me. I tried to howl in pain, but I couldn't get any breath through my lungs to do so. My vision blurred, and I could feel at least one of my bones break from the force of the kick. My head happened to be knocked in a way that let me look in the direction of the Sandslash. The wound I'd left on its arm was practically gushing blood. Its face was pale, too. Despite feeling like I was dying where I lay, I couldn't help but smile. With the Sandslash in this state, neither it nor its trainer would be able to get very far. They'd have to stop at a Pokemon Center eventually, and that's if the police Growlithe don't track them down by the smell or blood trail first. I truly felt a moment of hope. I was dead, and even if I somehow survived, everyone I loved was dead, so I might as well follow suit. But in that moment, I knew that the ones who did this weren't going to get away.

I was snapped back to reality as I heard the click of the man's gun. He was getting ready to shoot me too. I looked up and was staring down the gun's barrel. Still I smiled. I didn't know why anymore. Maybe I lost my mind. All I knew was that I was ready to join Bonnie and Shawn again...

BANG!

I heard the sound. I guess I closed my eyes just before it happened. But... the pain didn't come. Did the man miss? I finally opened my eyes, and I couldn't believe what I saw. I saw myself, laying on the ground with a bullet wound in my head and blood gushing out... almost five meters away. What had happened? And in the next instant after I asked that, I realized. It was an illusion. I'd somehow created an illusion, then ran away just in time and hid. From the look on the man's face - a look of satisfaction - I assumed that I'd somehow managed to camouflage myself as well. I didn't even know I was strong enough to make an illusion this elaborate. Maybe it was that instinct to survive by any means necessary that all living things had that kicked in. Even if I wasn't strong enough normally, my mind pushed my body to survive.

I couldn't help but ask, why? I'd already accepted that Bonnie and Shawn were dead and I was about to follow them. So why did I live?

As I thought about all of this, I watched as the man kicked the fake me away. Lucky that illusion got kicked behind a box, because I could feel it vanish as soon as it hit the ground. He leaned down and tried to treat his Sandslash's wound with a Potion and a bandage. It didn't seem to help, and the Sandslash seemed woozy and on the verge of collapse. He returned his Pokemon to its Pokeball and quickly ran out of the building. I think it was at this point that I lost consciousness.

I remember fading in and out of consciousness for a while after that. Everything I saw in that time felt like a fast-fading dream. At one point, there were police and paramedics flooding the room. A Growlithe came up to me and licked my face before turning around and barking. I lost it again there, and when I came to again, I was lying on some kind of bed, several sharp pains all over my body. I looked up and saw a lot of complicated-seeming equipment - medical equipment, I'd discover later - accompanied by several tubes and wires leading... into me. Even if I wasn't in the state I was in, all that alone was enough to cause me to faint again. I came to once more, and saw Marcus standing over me. I could tell he'd been crying a lot lately, but he actually smiled when he saw me open my eyes. I couldn't help but smile back. Maybe, just maybe, there was a reason I lived after all. I wanted to speak, to thank Marcus, to apologize for not being there for his brother, but I couldn't. My vision blurred once again, and it felt like I was falling away from Marcus...

I woke up screaming, leaping out of my bed and blindly attacking with Fury Swipes in every direction. I finally opened my eyes, and saw that I was back in Marcus' room, safe and sound. Everything just now was a dream... at the moment. It all really happened three years ago, and I still had nightmares about it to this day. I even still had a few scars from the medical equipment, and they burned every time I woke up from that nightmare, all over me. The pain from those always subsided after a few seconds, but the pain of reliving that night never faded. I sniffled, and only just realized that I was crying. That part wasn't too unusual, actually. Crying after I woke up from that nightmare, that is. I wiped my tears and looked up at the clock on Marcus' dresser. 9:07 AM. At least I got those last two hours of sleep that I needed, however restless they were.

They never even caught the man or his Sandslash...

I took a second to stretch before I turned around and fixed my bed, returning the sheets to where they were before I threw them around. I then looked up and saw several claw marks on the wooden legs of Marcus' bed. Oops... I observed the bed to see what I could do about it. Fortunately, my Fury Swipes missed the sheets, but there really wasn't much I could do about the legs of the bed, unfortunately. I sighed, and wondered how I was going to explain this to Marcus... again.

"Come to think of it, where is Marcus?" I found myself asking out loud. He said his mom was taking him shopping this morning, but two hours have passed already. I kinda figured they'd be back by now. Unless they went to Veilstone City, but that's half a day's trip at least. If they were going to Veilstone, they wouldn't be back until tomorrow. They'd have to have stayed in Jubilife, then. Maybe I was overthinking things. Still, if they were going to be gone this long, I'd have thought Marcus would inform me of some sort of plan. Hmm...

My train of thought was interrupted when I heard the door open. I looked over and saw Marcus standing in the doorway. He was back from wherever he'd gone. I smiled, but then I looked down at his feet, and I felt my smile fade. He had new company...

He had a starter Pokemon.


	3. Entry 3: Your Highness

I wasn't surprised when he picked me. How could he resist when I was next to a coward and a clown? I looked exactly like the name he gave me: a Princess. Not that I needed to be compared to such lowly individuals for my royalty to shine. After all, royal blood flows through every Piplup. I was no exception, and this Marcus character was no fool. He knew that he desperately needed royal company, so he was naturally attracted to me. Honestly, it was lucky of him that I decided it was worth my time to join him on his journey.

He told me he had to go back to his home in Jubilife City first before we set out. Apparently, he'd left his Bag there. Hmph! Did he not realize that he now had my valuable time to worry about now? Still, I went with him. I could forgive him this once. He doesn't know the rules of traveling with me yet, after all. I'd put my foot down soon, though. Don't worry about that.

His house was remarkably drab, so I won't bother talking about it. We went up to his room, and it was equally as drab and plebeian. Rather small. A bed, which he obviously didn't take very good care of, considering some claw marks in the woodwork, a nightstand, a closet, a bathroom, and a smaller Lillipup bed next to which a Zorua, with blue highlights rather than red, stood, so I could only assume the smaller bed belonged to the very same Zorua.

Again, hardly worth my time, but I was there.

"Marcus!" the Zorua barked. Was this his Pokemon? How dare he have a Pokemon before me! I almost felt betrayed. Completely disregarding my distress, the Zorua leapt forward, doing a front flip in midair and using her illusion to transform into a teenage-ish girl in an outlandish outfit. Did she... have fangs in this form? "Marcus, I was starting to wonder where you were! ...Who's this?" She started looking down at me.

I placed my flippers on my hips and puffed out my chest. "Your friend Marcus calls me Princess," I said, "and I'm his starter Pokemon. The question should be who YOU are!"

The Zorua actually had the gall to ignore me and turn back to Marcus! I desperately hoped I wasn't going to have to work with her on this journey, but a bad feeling in my stomach told me I might have to.

"Marie, this is Princess," Marcus started, rubbing the back of his head. "She's, um... I wanted to tell you, but you have a tendency to get jealous. She's my..."

"She's your starter," Marie concluded. "That's why you left early this morning. Because you went out to get a starter Pokemon and begin a journey." I could see tears starting to form in her eyes. "And you didn't tell me because you thought I'd get jealous... don't you want me on your journey, Marcus? Don't I matter to you?" She leaned forward and started crying into Marcus' chest.

Marcus brought her arms around Marie and started stroking her hair and shushing her gently. "Shh, shh, it's not what you think, Marie," he said in a soothing voice. I couldn't help but cross my flippers and roll my eyes. It looked I was going to be there for a while.

The Zorua looked up at Marcus. "If it's not what I think..." she started, "...then what is it? Do you... not think I can handle a journey?"

"Okay, I see where this is going," Marcus deadpanned. He then pushed Marie away. "Listen, not only do you have a tendency to get jealous, but you also like to blow things out of proportion." Marcus looked like he was starting to fight back tears as well. "You were about to bring up Bonnie and Shawn, weren't you? You thought I was thinking it was because of that night that you wouldn't be fit for a journey. I can't imagine what you went through that night, but don't forget that we both lost brothers in that one incident. I wouldn't use that against you, so I should expect you wouldn't use it against me." Marcus took a deep breath before he continued. Was he seriously not done? "Listen, Marie... I love you like a sister. I have ever since Bonnie caught you. And it's because of that love that I made the decision I made."

"The decision to abandon me and go off on your own adventure without me?" Marie asked. She seemed angry at this point. "To leave me behind because you thought I was mentally weak? Marcus, I... I thought you knew me better than that."

"I do know you better than that," Marcus replied. He then reached behind him and unclipped something from his belt before holding it forward. It was an empty Pokeball! When did he get one of those? Marie looked shocked, and brought her hands to cover her mouth. "I didn't tell you where I was going, I got my starter before telling you what I was doing, and I came back to give you this speech to teach you something. You have problems, Marie, and hiding from those problems in this room forever will never solve anything. But if we start this journey on this foot, acknowledging where we need to start... that will make growing easier. We have a defined starting point, and we can work together to grow, both of us. Besides, I also wanted to surprise you." Marcus smiled. "I miss Bonnie and Shawn just as much as you do, but they'd want us to go on this journey for them. They'd want us to move on from that night. So what do you say, Marie? Will you be the first Pokemon I catch on our journey?"

Marie stood there speechless for a moment. Holy Trubbish, how long could these two possibly spend on the waterworks? And why couldn't they sort this out before Marcus came to me? I yawned and tapped my flipper as though I had a watch. Marie noticed this and shot me a dirty look. Did she think she was Palkia or DIO or something like that? She was the one wasting time and she was giving me Trubbish about it! Still, she turned back to Marcus.

"Does she have to come with us?" the Zorua girl asked. "I feel like she and I would literally be oil and water."

"She does have to come with us, I'm afraid," Marcus replied. "I've always wanted a Piplup. Besides, a traveling companion you have to work to get along with could be... fun?"

In my entire life - nay, in that very 10-minute block - I had never been so offended! Me, difficult to get along with? I'd have voiced my opinion very loudly if I knew Echoed Voice and if Marcus would have understood me anyway. Ah, the heck with it it, I thought. "Excuse me," I called, "but if you two would be so kind as to hurry things up here? I have a journey to embark on, and you two are apparently my escorts. Also, if we could not have quite so much in the way of waterworks while we're out, that would be much appreciated. Lastly, I find the notion that I'm difficult to get along with very offensive, and we really need to fix our opinions of each other before we set off."

Both Marcus and Marie glared down at me. "I doubt I need to understand you to know the gist of what you said," Marcus said, bringing his hand up to his forehead and massaging it. "Please, for the love of all that is Legendary, behave yourself, Princess. I really want you on this journey. I locked eyes with you - when you finally opened them and acknowledged me, that is - and I felt that connection every trainer feels with their starter from day 1. Help me prove that feeling exists and try to get along with Marie and I, please?"

I was right. He really was desperate for my company. With a sigh, I nodded. I would make an honest effort to help these two to my level of sophistication so that they wouldn't have reason to keep telling me to behave.

Meanwhile, Marcus turned back to Marie. "So... I ask again," he said to Marie, bringing the Pokeball back up. "Marie... will you come with me?"

Marie's face immediately lit up and she nodded. "I'd love to, Marcus!" she cried. She then leapt forward, dropping her illusion and turning back into a Zorua, before reaching out with her paw and tapping the Pokeball in Marcus' hand, which immediately opened up and turned her into red energy before drawing her in. Once she was inside, the Pokeball closed and rocked three times in Marcus' hand. It then clicked, and Marie was caught.

"Can we go now?" I asked. However, I quickly found that Marcus was ignoring me, instead staring down at the Pokeball in his hand. Right, some trainers liked to give some little emotional line to a newly-filled Pokeball. I felt like we were going to be here forever.

Marcus smiled a little as he spoke. "Marie... you have no idea how long I've wanted to stand here with you like this," he said with a shaky voice. "Come on, sis. Let's go take Sinnoh by storm. And after that, the world will be ours. That's my promise to you." Marie's Pokeball rocked once in reply. Marcus then looked up, his expression turning somewhat dark. "That's my promise to you two as well..." He paused for a moment before taking a deep breath and tossing Marie's Pokeball into the air. "Come on out, Marie! You're not taking your first steps on this journey clipped to my belt!" The Pokeball then opened up and out of it poured that same red energy, which fell to the ground and returned to its original form: Marie.

The Zorua reformed with her eyes closed, but she opened them back up and looked up at Marcus with a smile. "So then... this is where it begins?" she barked.

Marcus nodded as though he could understand Marie perfectly. "We'll take our first steps together, Marie," he said. "Come on, both of you. We'll leave Jubilife City for Oreburgh together."

I don't know how I managed to get roped into this childish game, but before I knew it, myself, Marcus, and Marie were standing at the Jubilife City Limit, at the top of the stairs leading to the precipice of Route 203. I was somewhat impressed by the contrast. A bustling city behind us, and a calm, natural route before us. The Oreburgh Gate was even within view. Not much of a "first step," but if it really meant that much to Marcus, I didn't have much choice but to be there, huh?

"Ready, Marie?" Marcus asked. The Zorua barked and nodded. He then turned to me. "Ready, Princess?"

"I've been ready for the past hour," I complained. "Let's just go already."

"Then here we go," Marcus said. "On the count of three. One... two... three!" On three, all three of us took a step forward together. Unfortunately, I was the unlucky one who misjudged the height and distance of the first stair, and I slipped and was about to fall down the stairs and chew the dirt below. However, I didn't fall after I slipped. Marcus had reached down and grabbed my flipper to stop me from falling. I looked up towards him, and he looked like he was trying to hold back laughter. "To be fair, I thought I was going to be the one who slipped," he remarked.

I turned away and looked down to hide my embarrassment. That didn't muffle Marie's chuckling, however. "You can let me fall now..." I mumbled.


	4. Entry 4: Oil and Water

Let me preface this entry by apologizing to whomever might read my journal. I forgot to establish earlier that I was going to let my team write several entries in this journal. After all, they can provide a lot of different perspectives that I can't. (Namely the fact that they can understand each other without Marie translating for me, which saves paper space and pen ink.) Obviously, that won't stop me from writing several entries in my own journal. That said, however, a few mistakes I've made in writing have given me the idea to play a little game with my journal in which the reader will have to guess the perspective each entry is written from. Hope you have fun with that! ...Anyway, all that said, let me resume the story.

There we were. Marie, my sister, Princess, my starter, and myself, all on Route 203, taking our first leap into our journey. Sure, Route 203 was remarkably short, but I was determined to make this special! ...Unfortunately, I got the feeling Marie and Princess didn't exactly share the same sentiment, walking on opposite sides of me and doing their level best to avoid looking at each other. Sure, they started off on the wrong foot with each other, Princess doing so in a quite literal sense, but... crap, that was the problem. Marie was right, I think these two really were going to be oil and water. Fortunately, I had an idea. Every kid does the oil and water in a bottle experiment in science class, and every kid wants to find some way to mix the two substances that always stay separate. Well, I did that experiment, and I wanted to mix the oil and water, at least. I figured it out, too. All you need to do is shake the bottle, and the oil and water will mix, at least for a little while, until they settle and separate again. That was all I had to do. I just had to give these two a shake, and maybe they could start working together. Even if it would only last for a bit...

Now, all I had to do was find some way to give them that shake. The easy solution was probably to get these two in a battle together. That would just take finding a pair of wild Pokemon for them to take on. How hard could that be on a route full of tall grass next to a tunnel, however short this route may have been?

Sure enough, I found my query. A Bidoof and a Starly together at the small lake near the entrance to Oreburgh Gate. They looked like a pair, of sorts. Perfect for a Double Battle.

"Marie, Princess," I called down as I stopped walking. Both the Zorua to my left and the Piplup to my right stopped and looked up at me. "I've decided, I want to use both of you in my first battle as a trainer. Our foes..." I pointed at the Bidoof and Starly about ten meters away. "...will be those two over there. What do you say? Think you can take them on together?"

Marie and Princess looked at each other for a moment before turning their noses up and away from one another.

"Zor zor," Marie barked.

"Pip-Piplup," Princess chirped.

I brought my hand to my forehead and massaged it with a groan. I didn't really need to understand them to know they said, "No way," and "I agree," respectively. To be fair, Marie told me at a later date that those were, indeed, their exact words, but I really did have the idea at the time. One thing was clear, though. This was gonna be harder than I thought, and I had my bar set pretty high to begin with.

"Listen you two," I started, unsure of what "inspiring" words were about to come out of my mouth next, "I don't know what Pokemon believe in, if anything, but I, personally, am a firm believer in the principle of fate. The belief that everyone has a destiny that they are to strive to achieve in their lifetime. For me, that destiny is to become the greatest trainer to walk this planet, and to carry six Pokemon - six family members - alongside me in my journey to become the best. You two are the first of those six Pokemon I'll bring with me, and thus you share that destiny for greatness. However, we can only become great if we learn to work together." I paused for a moment, and realized that Marie and Princess had stopped turning their noses away from each other and were paying attention to me again. "I'm grateful for meeting both of you like I have, and I want to consider you both family by the time our journey is over, but that starts with you two getting along with each other as well. I don't expect you two to be inseparable as sisters right off the bat, but please... at least stop turning your noses away from each other the second you make eye contact. If not for yourselves or each other, then at least for me?"

There was a long pause, and I could tell by the looks on both of their faces that my words really were sinking in. I had to remind myself to not count my Pidgey before they hatched, though. "Cautious optimism" was the term I had to remember.

"(Alright, fine,)" Marie whined. "(I'll work with this pompous penguin just for you, Marcus.)"

"(And I can deal with this far-flung fox if what you say about a destiny of greatness is true,)" Princess chirped.

Again, couldn't understand them word-for-word at the time, but I could tell I'd gotten somewhere just now. I hazarded a smile. "Thank you," I said with a nod. "Now then, time for me to say something I've always wanted to say... Marie! Princess! To arms!"

My somewhat nerdy battle cry out of the way, I dashed towards the Bidoof and Starly, Marie and Princess on my heels. I stopped about two meters from my foes and whistled sharply to get their attention. Sure enough, the wild Pokemon turned around. I pointed at them. "You two," I started, "you two shall have the honor of being the first Pokemon defeated in battle by I, Marcus Isaiah Perseus Lyre, soon to be the greatest Pokemon Trainer to ever exist, as well as my Pokemon, Marie Lyre and Princess Lyre! En guarde, Bidoof and Starly! This day, our fates cross!"

In that moment, I mentally asked myself a question. Marie would ask me the exact same question later both for herself and on Princess' behalf. That question: Why the hell was I talking like that? It seemed the heat of battle caused me to adopt a whole new speech pattern. Weird, yes, but I couldn't think about that right now. The battle was about to begin!

I took a deep breath before giving my first commands. "Marie, start by using Leer! Princess, use Growl" I'd been told the Pokemon of Route 203 were rather strong for beginning trainers, so I wanted to be strategic. Fortunately, Princess and Marie were a perfect pair, able to lower the Attack and Defence of both foes at once in the same first turn.

Princess was the first to act, stepping up and leaning forward, unleashing a rather cute but powerful chirping noise that caused visible sound waves that echoed over the Bidoof and Starly, as well as causing ripples in the lake behind them. The foes shut their eyes and covered their ears. Perfect! They'd been disarmed for now! Unfortunately, the fact that their eyes were closed rendered Marie's attempt to use Leer useless, since she couldn't make eye contact with her targets.

"(Princess, what the hell?)" Marie barked. "(I need their eyes open for Leer to work!)"

"(Hey, it's not my fault they closed their eyes!)" Princess snapped back. At this point, they'd turned towards each other. I could almost see a bolt of electricity streaming between their eyes.

"Princess! Marie! Snap out of it!" I called. Under my breath, I added, "Crap, I'm losing them right off the bat. I need to move this battle forward, and fast." It was disadvantageous, since Marie's Leer failed, but I had to move into attacking, now. "Let's switch to offence! Marie, use Scratch on the Starly! Princess, use Pound on Bidoof!"

This time, not wanting to get outshone by Princess again - or so I assumed - Marie leapt forward first and went at the Starly. Her right forepaw started to glow white and she landed a direct hit on the Starly, who got knocked backwards and into the air, but recovered and started flying over the lake. Meanwhile, Princess slid forward on her belly before doing a front flip and bringing her right flipper up, causing it to start glowing white, much the same as Marie's paw from before, before Princess brought her flipper down and brought it down square on the Bidoof's forehead, knocking its head right into the ground.

We were in good shape! Somehow or another, we'd managed to take two turns before our foes even got to move! Unfortunately, we couldn't get three turns in a row, and the Bidoof and Starly recovered and attacked. The Bidoof used Growl on Princess, and her reaction was almost identical to the Wild Pokemons' reactions when she used Growl on them. She shut her eyes and covered her ears. I also wound up catching the tail end of this Growl, and indeed, the sound was somewhat unbearable, but I had to maintain my bearing, for the sake of my Pokemon, and for the sake of my destiny!

Meanwhile, the Starly had a different approach. It used Quick Attack to zip behind Marie and in front of Princess. The Bidoof leapt out of the way just in time for the Starly's Quick Attack to ram Princess square in the chest, catching her off-guard, as she was still reeling from the Growl, knocking her backwards, into Marie, and sending both of them into the drink. Fortunately, the water was shallow where they landed, so they were able to easily get up. Unfortunately, this was the part I was dreading would happen: their snap.

"(What the hell, Princess?)" Marie snapped. "(Do you have any idea how difficult it is to dry myself? Not to mention my fur gets poofy afterwards!)"

"(Well, allow me to apologize for what that Starly did to me!)" Princess angrily chirped back. "(Believe me, if I chose to knock you into the drink, you'd be all the way out there!)" I saw Princess point further out on the lake. That action, combined with how they were shouting at each other, gave me the feeling that they were back to square one... best case scenario.

I managed to tear myself away from the scene of my own Pokemon bickering for a moment to look at the Wild Pokemon they were originally fighting. The two were laughing! This was going horribly. My first battle, and I couldn't succeed because my Pokemon had no synergy, and they were embarrassing themselves in front of their foes as a result. I shouldn't have tried to mix oil and water. Even if the bottle is shaken, they eventually separate again.

"Oil and water..." I found myself saying out loud. "Oil and water...? Oil and water!" I snapped my fingers as a lightbulb went off in my head. I then went back to giving commands. "Princess! Dive into the water and stay under as long as you can until I give you a signal! Marie! Get out of the water, run up to the Bidoof and Starly, and then use your illusion to transform into the Bidoof! My point... get away from each other! Separate like oil and water are supposed to!"

The two stopped arguing and looked up at me to listen to what I was saying. I then saw both smile and nod. Princess let herself fall backwards and into the water, seeming to disappear completely beneath the waves. Meanwhile, Marie leapt out of the water, shook herself off a bit, and ran up to her foes, who still looked like they were laughing. "(Hey losers!)" Marie barked. She then back flipped, and in a flash, she was an almost identical copy of the Bidoof, sans her regular Zorua face and a black fluffy tail above her new Bidoof tail. Sure enough, both the Bidoof and the Starly seemed confused. I was about to move to the next phase of my plan, but Marie seemed to read my mind and executed the move I was going to tell her to do. She leapt at the Bidoof and began wrestling with it, rolling around all over the place and causing the Starly to fly to avoid getting steamrolled. Finally, one of the Bidoof managed to knock the other off of themselves. It was in that moment that I realized I'd lost track of Marie! For a moment, at least. I managed to find her based on the flaws in her illusion after a bit. However, the Starly wasn't quite as sharp. It was good and confused!

"Marie, stand there for a moment and wait for the Starly to take an action," I called. She didn't respond in any way. Perfect.

Both Bidoof stood there, eyeing the Starly expectantly, while the Starly stood there and continuously shifted its gaze between Marie and the real Bidoof, the two of whom had their backs to the lake. It felt like an eternity, though it was just about 20 seconds, before the Starly finally acted. It flew forward and used Tackle on the real Bidoof. A direct hit and a perfect outcome to this phase of my plan. Now it was time to act!

"Marie, it's time!" I called. Time for Phase Three of my plan, that was. "Drop your illusion, then run forward and use Scratch to knock both the Bidoof and the Starly into the air while they're still connected by the latter's Tackle!"

Marie acted with perfect timing. As I was talking, she executed the actions with snap. She returned to her normal form, and executed what she'd later call a "Scratchyuken," whatever the heck that's supposed to be, on the two Wild Pokemon. Sure enough, they both got knocked into the air.

"Now, use Pursuit to chase them down, and hit them over the lake!" I resumed. Marie did just that, coating herself in an odd dark energy and leaping upward at great speed. She then performed a full-body tackle on the two foes, knocking them out over the lake.

Before they started falling towards the drink, I took a deep breath, and gave my coup de grace command. "PRINCESS! LEAP OUT OF THE WATER NOW AND USE POUND TO KNOCK THESE TWO BACK ONTO THE SHORELINE!"

I called that command as loud as I could. I suddenly wasn't sure if Princess would be able to hear me underwater. Fortunately, she did indeed hear me, and she shot out of the water head-first like a graceful rocket. I could almost see the scene in slow motion, with the water droplets flying all around the Piplup, reflecting and refracting the sunlight beautifully. Then, when Princess was at the height of her leap, and perfectly lined up with the approaching Bidoof and Starly, who were tangled into a ball now, the Piplup reached up and readied her flipper to use Pound.

"(How dare you two assume you can be on my level!)" Princess called. "(You two need to be more down-to-Earth!)" What I assumed to be her witty one-liner out of the way, she brought her flipper down powerfully, and the Pound connected, sending the two foes crashing into the ground at the shoreline of the lake. Upon their impact, they slid a bit, digging a small trench before they finally stopped. I didn't have to be right next to them to be able to clearly see the swirls in their eyes.

There was a moment's pause as Princess landed gracefully on her feet, and she, Marie, and myself all looked between each other and the defeated foes. I clenched my fist and looked down, starting to shake a bit.

"Nnnnnn..." I wasn't really saying anything. I was just doing my level best to contain my excitement. An attempt that failed two seconds later. I leapt up into the air and shouted. "YES! MY FIRST VICTORY AS A POKEMON TRAINER!"

I saw Marie smile and start to jump up and down, yipping excitedly with a similar sentiment. Princess just crossed her flippers across her chest and threw her beak up and away from the rest of us. Unlike when she'd do this before, however, she had a smug look on her face. I'd have gotten after her, but I guess her smugness was somewhat warranted. She did land the final blow, after all.

I walked over to the downed Bidoof and Starly and kneeled so I was closer to their level. I then reached into my bag and pulled out two Oran Berries. Two of a dozen my mother insisted I took with me. I presented the two Oran Berries to the defeated Pokemon. "Thank you," I said. They both recovered just enough to look up at me and eye the berries in my hand. "I'm sorry we got a little carried away there at the end, but you two have no idea what you've done for both me and my Pokemon just now. This was our first battle on a journey to greatness, and I wanted to show my gratitude to you in some way. So here, take these Oran Berries."

The Wild Pokemon looked at me curiously before untangling themselves and taking the Oran Berries from my hand, proceeding to eat them with gusto, despite their apparent injuries.

"Bi-doof!" the Bidoof called.

"Star-Star-Starly Star-Starly!" the Starly chirped.

"You're both welcome," I replied with a smile. I assumed they thanked me, at least, because Marie wasn't in earshot at the time. I then stood up and called for Marie and Princess to gather around me. They both leapt towards me and looked up expectantly. "First of all, thank you, both of you. It was you two that got me - got us - this victory."

"(Glad I could be here with you for it, Marcus!)" Marie barked happily.

"(Not that you could have done it without me,)" Princess chirped smugly.

"(Excuse you,)" Marie growled as she turned to Princess. "(Where would you have been if I hadn't set you up like I did?)"

"Both of you, stop," I called, snapping them both back away from each other. "Listen, this battle taught me something very important. Something Marie actually foreshadowed back home. Despite my best efforts, you two really are oil and water. I tried to shake you two up with a battle so that you'd mix, but that nearly resulted in disaster." Both of them stared at me curiously when I mentioned shaking them. I rubbed the back of my head. "Long story. I'll explain later. The point is... you two have very little synergy with each other. If I try to force you two to work together - at least at this point in our journey - you'll just be at each other's throats the whole time. However, I can't rely entirely on my Pokemon to work together. It's the responsibility of the trainer to work with his Pokemon, bring out their strengths and protect their weaknesses. When you two were in the water, I finally realized what I needed to know. Two Pokemon don't have to have perfect synergy to be in sync with their trainer. Oil and water don't have to mix to be able to work together. In fact, just the opposite. Both oil and water are important in a car, for example, but they don't have to mix. They just have to fulfill their roles. Marie, you were able to use your illusion to distract the foes and create an opening, and then Princess was able to make use of that opening by breaching the water and, as a result, gaining the height she needed for her Pound to knock the foes into the ground fast enough for the resulting impact to deal the damage needed to knock them out." I paused to take a deep breath. "The point is, you both have strengths, and thus important roles to play, but you don't necessarily have to play the same role at the same time. You can just-"

Marie suddenly barked, cutting me off. She then back flipped and transformed into her human form. "Marcus, you've made your point," she said with a chuckle. "A few times in that same speech, in fact. Look, we get it. Princess and I know first-paw that we're not gonna get along anytime soon. Honestly, we should be thanking you for figuring that out." She looked down at Princess. "Got anything to add, 'Your Highness'?"

Princess crossed her flippers. "(Just tell Marcus that... my first battle was adequately entertaining, and that some degree of gratitude may be in order,)" Princess chirped. Marie relayed the message to me, but in a somewhat mocking tone.

Both I and my sister had a good laugh, and Princess, of course, protested. And from there, we went on with our journey. A few more battles were had in the Oreburgh Gate, but I made sure to stick with single battles. I'd already had a close enough call with our first battle. Honestly, nothing more that was particularly noteworthy happened for a while after that. Even the battle at Oreburgh Gym wasn't too spectacular. I just had to be smart enough to focus my training on Princess in particular, since she had the type advantage against Rock-types, and then use her alone against Roark. That wasn't really worth writing about.

Of course, one pretty important thing did happen while we were in Oreburgh City...


	5. Entry 5: Kindling

Route 207 was where I made my home. Charred berries and Bug-types were how I made my living. The mountainous terrain was how I kept my four legs in top shape. Yet among all this, I wondered what I needed for my flames to burn at their full potential. I was the only Ponyta on Route 207 whose mane and tail couldn't burn things on their own. I was... "colder" than other Ponyta. Of course, I could turn up the heat with effort, but the opposite was supposed to be true. Ponyta were supposed to consciously decrease the power of their flames for certain things, like not burning down the forest they were traveling through, but I was practically ineffective normally, and I had to strain just to keep myself warm some nights.

I guess I was just sick. Diseased. At least that's the notion I got in the short year and a half since I'd hatched. My parents tried to raise me normally, and in every other regard, I kept pace with other Ponyta, but I always felt like the other Pokemon where I made my home looked at me funny. Like I was a freak.

That's not what I was, though. I was just sick.

I spent most of my days somewhat on autopilot. I ate when I was hungry, slept when I was tired, and battled when I had to. This sickness that kept my flames cool occupied my mind most of the time. I found myself with a rather negative view of the world, as well as my own existence, as a result. "Why was I here if I only suffered?" I'd sometimes ask myself. I suffered in silence. Trying to approach other Pokemon, and having them treat me differently, like they could catch whatever I had if they spent too much time with me, it was an even worse feeling. That's why I was alone that fateful day...

It was just like any ordinary day. I was looking along the sides of the rocky walls for Burmy or Cherubi hanging, trying to catch sunlight. Of course, if they were looking for warmth, I was happy to oblige. I managed to find a Burmy, and I readied myself to hit it with an Ember. If I nailed them square between the eyes, I could fry their brain, and they'd loose consciousness almost instantly. Unfortunately, actually ending their life so I could eat them took a little longer, but at least they wouldn't feel it. (Or so I hoped.)

I shot the Ember from my mouth, but the wind suddenly kicked up as soon as I fired, sending my attack off-course. The force that was supposed to be enough to knock the Burmy out got carried into the rock wall it was hanging on. That managed to destabilize the wall and cause a rock slide. I wasn't able to get away in time, and the rocks fell on me. Well, that's what it felt like at the time. In all actuallity, one just nailed me in the side to knock me down, and another one landed on top of my left hind leg after I fell, pinning me where I lay. The rest of the rocks miraculously missed me.

"S-son of a Riolu!" I shouted in pain. I tried to pull my leg free, but it didn't work. I was stuck. Not only that, but I saw the Burmy bounce away, unscathed by the rocks. "Wait! Come back! I need help!" I immediately questioned why I called for the Burmy like that. I just tried to kill and eat it. Why would it come back to help me? Suddenly, the reality of the situation dawned on me. I was trapped, no other Pokemon knew where I was, no other Pokemon would come to help me. I could call for help, but I was in my secret feeding spot. Even if someone heard my cries or saw a signal I sent up with Ember, they probably wouldn't be able to find me. As I thought about the signal, I realized that my Ember wouldn't be strong enough to manage such a thing. Another idea that popped into my head was something Ponyta can usually do naturally: flare up their mane and tail as a distress signal. No, I couldn't manage that. The effort that would take a regular Ponyta, I need that kind of effort just to melt falling snow. Even then, I was feeling weak from the rock on my leg.

I started to cry. I layed my head down and let the tears stream down my face and onto the ground below. None of this should have happened. The wind shouldn't have shifted like it did. The rocks shouldn't have fallen like they did.

I shouldn't have been born like I was.

I'm not sure how long I layed there, accepting my fate. Half an hour, maybe? I was hungry, and I was starting to get thirsty, too, not to mention my leg was really starting to ache. The time I'd spent there so far was hardly fatal, but at this rate, I was likely going to die a slow death. Dehydration would claim me first. Unless my leg fell off beforehoof, then I could hobble my way to a water source and die of blood loss there. All these terrible thoughts started to flood my head. I'd stopped crying at this point, but now I started crying anew. It was hopeless...

"Princess! Use Bubble to break that rock!"

That was a trainer's voice. It tore through my veil of sorrow all of a sudden. I tried to look up to see what was going on, but before I knew it, the rock that had me pinned suddenly exploded. The pressure on my leg vanished. Whoever this trainer was, his Pokemon had destroyed the rock... and saved me! I stood up and turned to face the source of the trainer's call, and there he was, the man I'd soon know as Marcus Lyre, flanked on either side by a Piplup and... a black and blue Pokemon I was unfamiliar with at the time.

I tried to call out my gratitude, but all of a sudden, the leg that was pinned collapsed under me, and I fell to my side again. "Shit..." I muttered out loud as I looked down at my leg. It wasn't bloody, but it was well bruised. Might've broken a bone, too. I wasn't walking anytime soon.

Marcus seemed to notice this as well, and quickly ran over to me, taking his bag off and digging through it. He first pulled out an Oran Berry and handed it to me. "Here, I imagine you're a bit-" I didn't wait for him to finish. I was so hungry at the time, I just leaned up and snatched the berry out of his hand in one chomp. I didn't realize until later that I almost took a couple of his fingers, too. "...weak. So that should give you a little strength..."

I chewed and swallowed the Oran Berry too quickly. I was still hungry, but I was also thirsty. I tried to pantomime my thirst for Marcus. The best I could come up with at the time, however, was staring at the Piplup and panting with my tongue hanging out.

"Marcus, she's making me uncomfortable," the Piplup complained, taking a step back.

"I'm sorry," I replied to the Piplup. "I'm thirsty, and I didn't know how to communicate that to your trainer. Also in pain, so my creativity's not in the best shape."

The other Pokemon with Marcus suddenly perked her ears up and back flipped into the air, suddenly transforming into a strangely-dressed human girl that made me think of fried Tentacool. Further adding to my surprise, the Pokemon-turned-human relayed my message to Marcus in perfect English! Marcus nodded and quickly started digging through his bag again before pulling out what seemed to be an orange canteen full of water.

"Marcus, where do you get all this stuff?" the girl asked.

"My, uh... my mom was adamant I leave the house as prepared as possible," Marcus replied. "I have six more canteens just like this in here, all color-coded, as well as the first-aid supplies I need to patch this Ponyta up enough to last her until we can get her to the Pokemon Center." He brought the canteen to my mouth, and I opened up. He then tilted the canteen up a bit, and the cool water started flowing. I gulped it down as fast as I could, but Marcus was being careful to pour in such a way that as little water spilled out of my mouth as I drank as possible. After the canteen was emptied by about a third, Marcus tilted it back down and withdrew it. "You alright there, my little Ponyta?"

Panting from how ferociously I was drinking the water, I nodded. "I'm, um... I haven't eaten in a while, too," I added, and the girl relayed the message. "Do you have any more berries...?"

Marcus smiled and nodded, reaching into his bag and pulling out two more Oran Berries. "You keep making requests like this, and I'll never get to that leg," he remarked with a chuckle. He held the two Oran Berries out for me, obviously trying to be careful not to lose fingers this time. I tried to exercise self-control, and took one from his hand slowly, chewing it a little before taking the other one. I chewed both for a bit more before swallowing them. I was still hungry, even after that, but Marcus had a point. He had to tend to my leg, which, now that I was thinking about it again, was starting to ache once more.

"Um... thank you," I cooed as Marcus pulled out a Potion, another bottle of what I'd later find out was soap, a sponge, and a roll of bandages, before moving to my leg. "Why... why are you doing this for me?"

The girl relayed the message, and Marcus started talking as he poured water from the canteen I'd drank from over my leg, then poured soap on the sponge, and started gently cleaning my leg. "I could give you the answer you want to hear," he started. "I could say I'm a naturally kind soul who happened to be walking by, and immediately leapt into action because helping you was the right thing to do." He paused for a moment as he removed his jacket and used the backside of it to dry the water and soap off of me. He then put the jacket back on, as though the fact that it was now wet was nothing to him, before grabbing the Potion and starting to spray my leg. The medicine stung for a moment, and I felt my leg twitch from the pain, but I quickly got used to it. "Some of the answer you want to hear is true, too. I'm kind, I happened to be walking by purely by chance, and I didn't think twice about leaping in to help you, but that's where it ends. I didn't help you because it was the right thing to do. I'll confess to you, I'm helping you now for completely selfish reasons." My ears flicked a bit as I heard him say this, and his Pokemon had similar reactions. "I want to become the greatest Pokemon trainer in history, but in order to do that, I have to have a strong team behind me. A team that trusts me. Thus... I resolved to never catch a single Pokemon in battle during my journey. Any Pokemon I catch, I want them to trust me enough right off the bat to willingly come with me." I hadn't even realized it, but as he was talking, he'd already bandaged my leg up. It still hurt a lot, and I doubted I was exactly in galloping condition, but I was definitely in a better state now than I was in ten minutes ago. He stood up and smiled down at me. "I want part of that trust to be that my team knows why I do what I do. I'm destined for greatness, and if you want to come with me, you share that destiny. If you don't think you can travel with someone as selfish as I am, though, you weren't part of my destiny to begin with." He held his hand out in front of me, offering to help me up. "So what do you say, my little Ponyta? Will you come with me?"

I looked down and thought for a moment. I'd always dreamed of a trainer defeating me in battle and catching me, taking me with him or her on their journey, but I never considered a trainer would ask me to join them. Not only that, but he admitted something really big about himself. A selfish trainer. I couldn't know just how selfish he was, but it couldn't have been that bad if he helped me just now and even admitted everything up-front, right? Was it everything, though? Was he hiding something?

"I..." I started, looking up at him, and the girl immediately got ready to translate as I talked. "I need more time to think than this. I need to really consider whether I can come with you, because you've told me you're selfish, but I can't know the extent. Also... I need to consider whether I'll help or hinder you."

"Hinder me?" Marcus asked curiously. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not like other Ponyta," I continued. "Something's wrong with me. Here, put your hand in my mane. I promise to you, you won't get hurt." Marcus raised an eyebrow, but followed my instructions and moved the hand that he'd extended towards me towards my mane. It was at this moment that I realized he was wearing a ring with a ruby in it on that hand. Sure enough, he placed his hand over my burning mane first. His expression grew curious, and he lowered his hand in. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that his Pokemon flinched as he did this. I felt his hand in my mane - don't ask me how, there's not a single Ponyta or Rapidash on Route 207 who knows why we can feel things in our manes or tails - and he waved his hand around a little.

"But... that's fire...?" Marcus commented as he withdrew his hand and looked down at it. "My hand's barely warm."

"I hatched with some kind of sickness that keeps my flames at a low temperature unless I strain myself," I said, my voice starting to break. "I can still fight, but I don't know if this sickness will stunt my growth, or keep me from burning something in a life-or-death scenario, or-"

"Shh, shh, no need to go into that shpeal, my little Ponyta," Marcus interrupted. "Listen, nobody's perfect. I'm selfish, Princess here," he pointed at his Piplup, "has a real bad prideful streak, Marie," he pointed at the girl, "can easily let her jealousy get the best of her. You don't burn as hot as you should because that's how you hatched? You'd be in perfect company if you came with us." He smiled and held his hand out for me again. "I promise."

I looked up at the trainer. He claimed to be so greedy, but he was so generous as well. I didn't understand him... "I... still don't know," I finally said. "I've got so much to consider. I'm sorry..."

Marcus just continued to smile. "In that case, you should do your considering at the Pokemon Center," he said. "Whether you want to join me or not, hell if I'm leaving you out here like this. Can you walk?"

"I can try..." I replied. Augh! I was starting to hate this human and how he insisted he was a bad person and then acted so nice to me! I was grateful, sure, but he put me on the spot like this. Despite this, I reached up and placed my hoof in his hand. It was still warm from when he placed it in my mane, somehow. He gripped my hoof firmly and helped me up. I was able to stand on three legs, but I couldn't keep the one that was injured on the ground. I felt able to limp, at the very least, however.

"You don't need me to carry you, do you?" Marcus chuckled.

I found myself chuckling a little as well. "No, I should be good," I replied. "Though... I might need to lean on you to make it through town. If that's alright?"

I noticed Marie had a look of concern on her face as she translated what I said for Marcus. I would disregard this at the time, however. "You go right on ahead if you need to," Marcus replied. With a chuckle, he added, "And don't worry about burning me, by the way. My jacket's fireproof." I couldn't help but feel like that was a jab at my sickness, yet I still smiled. Despite feeling like a jab, I knew he was just trying to lighten the mood. The four of us then started walking, though rather slowly to accomodate my limping. Sure enough, we didn't get too far before I stumbled and almost fell, and sure enough, Marcus caught me before I bit the dust.

"Thanks..." I mumbled with a smile. And that's how we walked through town towards the Pokemon Center. I was pretty much on two legs, Marcus holding my left foreleg, with Marie and Princess on either side of us. I wasn't sure why Marcus didn't keep them in Pokeballs, but I never bothered to ask at the time. In Marie's case, I figured Marcus wasn't to keep her out in case he needed to translate something from me, but I still didn't know about Princess.

When we finally got to the Pokemon Center, Marcus had to leave me there so the doctors could do their work. I'd have described what happened, but they had me under Hypnosis-induced sleep most of the time I was there so they could work their magic on me. I guess they could've put me under real anesthetics, so I was grateful for that. The only time they let me stay awake for longer than 30 seconds was when they fed me lunch. I certainly got my fill then, since all I had for breakfast was the three Oran Berries Marcus fed me.

It was later that evening when I finally woke up and wasn't immediately put back to sleep by a Hoothoot. I was on some kind of bed. A great improvement from the cave I made my den in, that's for sure. I couldn't observe my surroundings very well before a Chansey opened the door and poked her head in. "Are you the Ponyta that was brought in by Marcus Lyre?" she asked.

"I... think so," I replied. "He never actually told me his name. He had a Piplup with him, though."

"Ah," the Chansey muttered with a deadpan expression. "Yup, there's certainly a Piplup in the building. Everyone's ears can tell. I think it's your trainer with her."

"Oh, he's not my trainer," I said. "Not, um... not yet, anyway. Long story." I carefully got off the bed, starting with my forelegs, then I placed my right hind leg on the ground, and finally, gently, put my left hind leg down. As soon as my hoof hit the ground, I still felt a little sting, but other than that, I was completely fixed up!

"Feeling better?" the Chansey asked with a smile as she took note of my excitement.

"I feel like I could gallop a marathon!" I cheered. "Ahem.. okay, maybe not a marathon, but I definitely feel better. Thank you."

"Not a problem at all," the Chansey replied with a grin. "Come on. I'll walk you out to the front."

My reunion with Marcus wasn't particularly eventful. I smiled, we hugged, I noticed he was now one Gym Badge richer, Marie was asked not to translate what I said for the sake of not catching odd looks from the people in the lobby, and... Marcus was forwarded a bill for everything I ate. Apparently I went well over what I was supposed to eat, so they had to get extra food specifically for me.

It wasn't until we were back on Route 207 when Marcus and I were finally able to talk again.

"So... you're an eater, huh?" Marcus asked me.

I nodded. "Sorry, I wasn't really thinking about it at the time," I said while looking down.

"Hmm, then bringing you with me would be a bit more of a problem than I bargained for?" Marcus continued.

I nodded again. "I could understand if you didn't want me to come with you now," I said, turning around. "Thank you for helping me..."

"Hey," Marcus called. I perked my head up, but didn't turn around. "Did I just hear you imply that you wanted to come with me after all?"

I turned around and looked at Marcus with a confused expression. "I... did decide that I wanted to come with you," I said, "but if you don't want me anymore-"

"Now hold on just a second, my little Ponyta," Marcus interrupted with a smile. "You think I'm a stranger to problems with my team?"

"Hey!" both Marie and Princess shouted at the same time.

Ignoring his Pokemon, Marcus reached behind him and pulled out a Pokeball, presenting it to me. "I don't care how much trouble you cause for me," he continued. "I believe destiny brought us together. ...Do you believe the same?"

I stood there speechless for a moment, my gaze shifting between Marcus and the Pokeball in his hand. It wasn't long, however, before I smiled and nodded. "I do believe!" I cheered before I reached up and tapped the Pokeball with my hoof. Getting drawn into the ball was such a strange feeling. It was almost pleasant, in fact. Like every inch of my skin was getting massaged by a warm flame. I almost didn't even feel like I was compressed. When I was finally drawn into the Pokeball, I felt almost completely normal. I had the instinct to struggle my way free, and I felt the ball rock around me once. I stayed still, though, not struggling at all. Twice. I didn't want to struggle, despite my instincts. Thrice. This was where I wanted to be. By this trainer's side. By the side of Marcus Lyre.

Suddenly, I heard a resounding "click!" sound around me, and the instinct to struggle vanished. I'd... been caught! A sudden excitement washed over me. Was this how Pokemon normally felt when they'd been caught? I didn't care. This was how I felt now. Excited to start a new life where those around me didn't treat me like I was strange just because I was different.

I felt the Pokeball open up around me again, and before I knew it, I was standing in front of Marcus again. I felt like I was looking at him in a whole new light now that I was his Pokemon. With a new kind of respect wild Pokemon could never know.

"Welcome to the family, my little Ponyta," Marcus said to me with a smile. "My name's Marcus, and I think I've already mentioned Princess, my starter, and Marie, my sister." His sister? Was he really related to this still-unfamiliar Pokemon who could turn into a human? "Erm... long story about that last thing. I'd be happy to fill you in later, though. We'll have plenty of time to do that now, anyway."

"Thank you!" I cheered with a vertical leap. From the look on Marcus' face, it seemed Marie didn't have to translate what I said for him.

"Now then, for the most important part of this moment..." Marcus continued, bringing his hand to his chin. I stopped leaping and looked up at him curiously. "What am I going to call you? While I find 'my little Ponyta' to be rather charming, you'd agree it's somewhat of a mouthfull. So, what nickname shall I give you...?" He stood there thinking for a moment, and the rest of us were completely silent for him. All of a sudden, Marcus snapped his fingers. "I've got it!" He then started waving his arms and moving his body in a dramatic manner. "Like a powerful storm, your life was quite literally rocked by that landslide. Then, in a flash of lightning, I appeared, and our encounter altered both of our fates in a single strike!" He said that last word loudly, and with a clench of his fist. "Thus, I shall give you the name... Blitz." With a shrug and a chuckle, Marcus added, "My poetry aside, I also want to set things up for if and when I teach you Flare Blitz. So what do you say? Does Blitz feel like a good name for you?"

Blitz. I honestly couldn't think of a better name. It felt like it fit me so perfectly. Powerful, exciting, and quick. I nodded enthusiastically. "I love it," I said with a smile.

Marcus nodded. "Well then, Blitz..." he started, "shall we get back to my journey, and begin yours in the process?"

With that, the four of us set out. Well, it was actually just Marcus and I. He put Marie and Princess back in their Pokeballs so that he could walk with and take some time to get to know me, and I could do the same with him. The walk through Oreburgh was nothing special. Oreburgh Gate and Route 203, Marcus used me in a few battles. Finally, he took me to his home in Jubilife City. He showed me his house, and the four of us stayed there for the night.

The whole time, I couldn't help but feel like being with Marcus gave me a newfound strength that I could never hope to achieve before he came along. Like he completed me.

But hey, that's how every newly-caught Pokemon feels, right?

Author's note: Sincere apologies, but expect updates to be somewhat few and far between in an increasingly worse manner as time goes on from now until further notice due to personal reasons. If it makes you feel any better, you can tell yourself it's because the chapters themselves are getting longer and more detailed! Ehehe... just a suggestion... 


	6. Entry 6: The Daycare on Route 205?

I found it strange. According to my Town Map, the daycare was supposed to be well further East than where I was now. Yet there it was, right there in front of me. On Route 205, just past Floaroma Town - which I kinda just rolled through, since I don't really care much for flowers - and not a hundred meters from the Fuego Ironworks as the Murkrow flies, a moderately small building with a yard in the back, and a sign at the front that read, "Pokemon Daycare: We'll Raise Your Pokemon With Love."

Something about the whole situation didn't sit well with me.

I looked down at Blitz to my right and Princess to my left. (Marie elected to be the one to remain in her Pokeball for now. She still needed four of her 14 hours of sleep when the rest of us woke up that morning.) "What do you two think?" I asked them. Both Piplup and Ponyta looked up at me, appearing puzzled to an extent similar to how I felt.

"Poni..." Blitz hummed as she carefully looked back at the building before us.

"Lup," Princess added with a shrug. I was pulled away from reality for a moment to notice that a gesture as casual as a shrug was rather uncharacteristic of Princess. Dare I give myself hope at that point in my journey, but was she starting to mature a little?

I came to after a few seconds to take another look at the supposed Daycare. I brought my hand to my chin and rubbed it as I thought. "Hmm... something really doesn't seem right..." I thought aloud. "Princess, Blitz, I'm gonna put you two back in your Pokeballs for now so that I can go inside and investigate. If you're able to from within your Pokeballs - and I'm not assuming you are - try to wake Marie up as well and tell her to be on-call. Something's bothering me here, yet that same something is beckoning me inside..."

"Pon."

"Pip."

With their nods and approvals, I returned the two Pokemon and headed inside. All the while, I couldn't help but feel like I was being watched...

Stepping inside, it seemed ordinary enough. The lobby was spacious and homey, with walls and floors made of wood, there was a segment off to the side that was colorful and full of toys - no doubt a place for the younger Pokemon to be where the staff could keep an eye on them - and towards the back, behind a counter, a man in a disarming Breeder's outfit with a wide grin on his face.

"Welcome!" he called to me from all the way across the room. As I approached, he continued. "Are you here to leave Pokemon or pick one or more up?"

I wasn't even halfway to him when he asked that question. Arceus, did he creep me out, too. He had to have been in his later teens or early 20s. Fresh off a journey and decided he wanted to be a Pokemon Breeder? Something about that shit-eating grin he wore told me otherwise. Still, I approached.

"I'm, uh..." I started. I planned on avoiding his odd question, but I still had to figure out how. "Is this Daycare the same as the one in Solaceon Town, on the other side of Mt. Coronet?"

"Ah! You've used our services before, then!" he assumed.

"Y-yes... I have," I lied. His unwavering grin told me he bought my story.

"You'll have to forgive me, then," he continued. "If you're here for pickup, please, proceed this way and through the door behind me," He lifted up a segment of the desk he was standing behind and gestured toward a wooden door behind him. "We hope you enjoy your stay, sir."

Well! Color me thoroughly confused. I wasn't sure what to think, but my curiosity had a firm grip on me at the time, so I smiled and nodded before walking forward and through the door.

Beyond the door, there was a small hall leading forward, into the yard in the back, I presumed, but to the left, a small offshoot hallway, at the end of the three-meter length of which stood another shit-faced man in a similar outfit to the man outside, standing in front of a stairwell that led downward. This man looked younger, and it seemed he hadn't shaved in a couple days.

"Welcome," this new man said to me, motioning me to follow him down the stairs. I followed him, and it looked like we were headed two stories underground. "Do you already have a preference in what Pokemon you'd like today?" When I was silent for a full 29.97 frames, he continued, despite me opening my mouth to start speaking after a second's thought. "The common favorites among trainers your age are Gardevoir and Lucario, but I imagine you're aware of that statistic already. We often get employees of the Fuego Ironworks, and they have a preference towards Water-types, such as Vaporeon and Floatzel, and Ice-types, such as Jynx and Dewgong. But of course, our selection is not only limited to the Pokemon I've listed. Disregarding current availability, we have Pokemon such as Raichu - both Kantoian and Alolan - Ninetails, with similar options, Flygon, Ampharos... oh! How silly of me. Here I am still talking, and we've been standing at the bottom of the stairs for a good several seconds now!"

He was right. It was when he mentioned Vaporeon that we came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, facing a heavy-looking steel door that had a keypad lock above the handle. For some reason, I could hear some kind of music from the other side of the door. It had a very pronounced beat to it. Dance music?

"Anyway, have you made your choice?" the man continued. "Or will you browse first? I should warn you now, we've started charging a fee for mere 'window shopping.'"

"Um..." I hummed, remarkably suspicious about this whole situation at this point. "I'll... go in, and see if I find something I like."

"Excellent!" the man - how do I put this...? - beammed flatly, his plastered-on grin not changing.

In the brief time that the shit-faced man wasn't talking, I had a second to think about all the information I'd been given. The Daycare not being on the map, how the man upstairs seemed to have a double-meaning to his words, how this man was listing Pokemon like he was reading off a menu at a restaurant, our present location... honestly, only one conclusion came to mind, and it was probably the worst-case scenario. I didn't entertain the idea I had just yet...

While I was thinking, the man walked up to the keypad and smacked the side of it once. The lights of the keys flickered to life and formed into the shape of a Rotom's eyes. The eyes blinked once before giving a "Brzzt!" in reply and disappearing before the door opened inward - a fire hazard, I noted - to a spacious, mostly dark room, save for pale purple lighting. What I saw shocked me, and simultaneously confirmed my suspicions.

For the sake of not beating around the tall grass, I'll just say it. It was a Pokemon cathouse. (And yes, I knew what that was. I was hardly innocent, thanks to the internet.) There were human men of varying ages - some I could tell were Ironworks workers - coddling Pokemon such as Gardevoir and Floatzel to varying degrees of uncomfortability at booths and tables strewn about the room, as well as a bar lining the left wall. Some were even performing unspeakable acts right there in the middle of everything. (Though to their credit, I guess it was being done under the table.) And that was just what I could see. The walls towards the back were lined with doors that no doubt led to smaller rooms in which, again, no doubt, vastly more unspeakable acts were being performed. There were more Pokemon wandering about, too, most in sultry ways. I could tell, however, that some of their movements and actions were forced. Honestly, that last part didn't surprise me.

"Come find me if you find a suitable Pokemon," the man said before closing the door behind him and walking off, disappearing into the spacious room. I stood there for a moment, not sure what to think. A place this disgusting, camouflaged as an unassuming daycare, and it looked like a lot of the Fuego Ironworks workers were regular patrons. (To be fair, I noted a couple regular trainers and even a few other Pokemon making use of the "services" in addition to the workers.) I wanted to throw up, but I knew I couldn't right there in front of everything. I was about to turn and try to walk out when I suddenly got that feeling of being watched again. This time, I felt like I could pinpoint the culprit, too. I turned, but I saw nothing. However, a potted plant in an uncrowded corner did rustle. I walked over and examined the plant. It looked entirely unassuming, and I couldn't see evidence of anything hiding within.

I was about to walk away when something caught my eye. Despite the purple lighting, I noticed a patch of white in the soil. I reached out for it, and I felt the plant itself shudder as my hand got close.

"Leaf..."

I quickly pulled my hand back, the sound of a Pokemon's quiet yet distressed cry piercing the loud music and jolting me to attention. What was that I just heard? A Grass-type Pokemon? That would explain why the potted plant facade fooled me. But what was the white patch in the soil?

I leaned in and tried to whisper in a voice just louder than the music. "Hello...?" I called. After a moment's pause, I continued. "Were you... forced to be here?"

"Leafeon..." the plant replied, sounding like it was on the verge of tears.

A Leafeon, I concluded. It was hiding, its plant cells allowing it to perfectly camouflage itself within another plant, like how some Water-types - such as Vaporeon and, as I recently found out, Piplup - could disappear in water.

I clenched my fist. I might be selfish, but I'll be damned if somebody forced Pokemon around like this, especially if they were forced into this particular service. The thought of a human and a Pokemon doing... "that" really made me gag.

"I'm going to help you," I said to the Leafeon with resolve in my voice. "My team and I, we're going to get all of you out of here. I have absolutely no idea how, but we're gonna do it."

The leaves rustled, and I saw a pair of floating hazel eyes stare up at me. They were sorrowful, but I found a faint glimmer of hope in them. One I'd put there myself just now. "Eon," the Leafeon said to me with a firm nod.

I grabbed the Pokeballs of Marie, Princess, and Blitz, all currently in their smaller state, and held them up to my mouth. "Girls, I know you can hear me," I said in a low voice. "We've got a real bad situation. There's a number of Pokemon held against their will in here, and we're gonna break them out, but it's gonna take a careful plan if we want to limit injuries. I'm gonna release each of you in three separate locations around this room. Marie, you'll be first. I need you to use your Illusion to turn invisible and warn all the Pokemon you can that something's about to happen and that they need to casually make their way to the door. Be careful, though. A few Pokemon here aren't on our side. Look for the ones that seem in distress. Once you've done that, go to the door and talk to the Rotom that's inside it. Get him to open the door soon. Princess, Blitz, I'll release you two at separate intervals. I'll need you both to create distractions wherever you're released. Try not to injure anyone, but from the looks of things, property damage should be a-ok." I looked over at the plant. It looked like the Leafeon had dug its soil up a little. The white thing - now more obviously round - was a little more visible, and I noticed a red mark poking up from under the soil, as well as a blue mark elsewhere.

Wait a second... crap! That's an egg!

"You need to get that egg out of here too, don't you?" I asked the Leafeon.

"Leaf leaf..." it replied.

I brought my Pokeballs back up to my mouth. "Change in plans," I said. "Blitz, you're the only distraction, so make it nice and flashy, then start running. Princess, I'm going to release you here so you can keep our Leafeon friend and her egg covered. Marie, your role doesn't change. Make sure everyone's warned before Blitz works her magic. All clear?" All three Pokeballs rocked in my hand in response. "Okay then. Princess, you're first." I expanded Princess' Pokeball and, making sure I was covering her adequately, released her in front of me. The sound of the Pokeball opening was muffled by the music, but the flash caused me a bit of concern. Still, there Princess was now, standing before me. She brought her flippers to her hips and puffed out her chest.

"Pip-Piplup!" she called, signalling she was ready to perform.

"Shh," I reminded her. "Don't forget, we're working with dangerous foes."

"Lup..." Princess nodded. She then turned around to the potted plant and tilted her head in a confused manner before the Leafeon's eyes appeared, startling Princess. It was a funny sight, but I couldn't stay to admire it. I got up and started walking towards one of the unoccupied tables, under which I'd release Marie.

Unfortunately, I saw the man from before, still bearing that shit-eating grin, walking towards me, flanked on either side by Scrafty. Crap. And I wasn't near a table, either. If I were to release Marie now, anyone could see her.

"Find any Pokemon that tickle your fancy, sir?" the man asked. His tone was as flatly cheerful as before, which sent a shudder down my spine. "I can assure you, we have a much better selection out here than in that little corner you were crouched in."

"Actually," I started, an idea forming in my mind, "I didn't find any Pokemon I liked out here, but I was wondering if you happened to have Leafeon?"

I might've imagined it, but it looked like the man's face distorted into a scowl for just a brief moment before returning to a smile. "We had one Leafeon," he finally said. "However, she's been lost for a time. If you find her..." He motioned for the two Scrafty to move in on me, and so they did. "...we would very much appreciate if you'd point her out for us."

I tried to reach for Marie's and Blitz's Pokeballs to defend myself, but the Scrafty grabbed my arms before I could get a firm grip, and they tumbled to the ground. However, beneath the music, I heard one of them open. The Scrafty that had my right arm noticed this as well, and looked down. From a shake of his head, however, I discerned he'd found nothing. I must've been in luck. Marie was probably the one that got released, and she immediately went invisible. Hopefully she'd be able to release Blitz for me, too. I never showed her how a Pokeball worked, which was something I wanted to do in case a situation vaguely similar to this ever came up.

The Scrafty suddenly tugged on my arms and had me walk forward towards one of the rooms in the back, following the smiling man. The man led us through one of the doors in the corner, and to my surprise, it led to a wide, pale-yellow-painted, well-lit hallway leading away from the previous room. As I was led down this hallway, I noticed many secure doors lined the walls, and I could hear the screams of Pokemon behind some of them. This didn't seem like the kind of place they'd let their patrons into, so I couldn't help but fear what horrors went on in this section of the "Daycare"...

We finally stopped in front of one of the doors near the end on the right side. To my left, about three more doors down, was a larger, more important-looking door. Despite this, the man opened the door we were in front of, and the Scrafty pulled me inside. The room was not dissimilar to a prison cell, sans a window, which was replaced by a ventilation shaft with iron bars in front of it. It had a twin-sized bed in one corner, and a filthy toilet in the opposite corner. On the back wall, however, was what really caught my attention: a rack full of what I assumed was bondage equipment.

"Do you treat all your guests with this kind of hospitality?" I asked sarcastically. "Or am I getting the VIP treatment?"

The man chuckled behind me. "You are important, I'll say that much," he said. From the sound of his voice, I realized he was outside the room and back in the hallway. "The boss even wants to see you, my friend." Suddenly, the door slammed shut, and I heard it lock as well. As soon as the door closed, one of the Scrafty got to work getting equipment off the rack while the other continued to hold me.

I could have struggled, but given the circumstances, struggling seemed to be exactly what they wanted, so I was reluctantly cooperative as the two Scrafty tied me securely to the wall in a space between the rack and the bed. My hands and legs were spread out in an X shape, and my feet were about three inches off the ground. The two stood back and admired their work for a moment before the left one turned around and initiated some kind of conversation. I didn't know what they were talking about, but they made more than one gesture that I was particularly uncomfortable with.

"You two try what I think you're gonna try," I started, putting on the toughest act I could from my position, "and I'll personally kick both of your asses.

The two were silent for a moment, staring at me with confused expressions, before they both started laughing. One grinned at the other and guestured towards me. The two then started walking forward. I gulped. This wasn't exactly how I'd planned for my day to go...

The one on my left was about to tear my clothes apart with his non-existent claws when the door suddenly swung open. "HYP-HYPNO!" I heard a Pokemon shout.

Both Scrafty suddenly forgot about me and turned around to face the door. I had to tilt my head to see, since one of the Scrafty's plumes were in the way, but I could easily make out a Hypno standing at the door, glaring at the two Scrafty.

Their exchange was a few brief apologies from the Scrafty followed by the Hypno angrily shouting. When it was finally done, both Scrafty hurried out of the room. The Hypno stepped aside to let them leave before stepping into the room, using Psychic to close the door behind him. He then walked up to me and started eyeing me.

"Hey," I called, "you tell your Pokemon they need to keep whatever they have in their pants."

The Hypno tilted his head curiously for a moment before shaking his head and looking back up at me. His eyes glowed an eerie blue for a moment, and I suddenly felt a pressure in my head. Shit, he was already in my mind and he didn't even buy me a drink first! As quickly as it started, however, the pressure in my head ceased and the Hypno's eyes returned to normal.

"Can you understand me, trainer?" I heard someone ask. Wait, was that the Hypno? He was talking, and I could understand him!

"I... guess I can," I replied. "How'd you do that? What'd you even do?"

The Hypno walked up so he was right in my face and stood there, staring at me for a moment, before he suddenly reached up with his right hand and clenched it around my throat. "I'LL BE ASKING THE QUESTIONS HERE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" Suffering that strangling was the last thing I expected. My throat wasn't prepared for such an impact, and the pain was excruciating. Despite being a Psychic-type, this Hypno apparently had impressive grip strength. "I'll answer your questions while I talk, I'm sure, but you will NOT..." He tightened his grip as he said that word, and I thought my neck was going to snap in half. Plus, there was the fact that my vision was starting to blur from lack of blood and air flow. "...disrespect me by speaking unless I allow you to speak. Do you understand me, human?" He sounded like he spat the word "human," like he had to brush his teeth after this just because he'd said that. Still, I nodded as best I could. "Good. Then I'll go ahead and get started." At last, he released my neck and pulled his arm back. I took a deep breath and started coughing. I felt the blood rush back to my head, and almost lost consciousness from that.

"I asked one of your friends..." I started between pants, "...if you treat all your guests... with this kind of hospitality... Can you attest?"

The Hypno glared at me. "Obviously we've learned nothing just now," he said in a strangely calm voice. I only noticed now, now that the shock of hearing a Pokemon talk and the threat of getting strangled to death were out of the way, that the Hypno had a rather deep voice. "Fortunately for you, I injured my hand earlier today, and strangling you just now aggravated it again. However..." His eyes flashed once, and I felt an odd feeling all of a sudden. I couldn't describe it for the life of me, but I knew he just did something. "...I need to make sure I can't be interrupted somehow or another,"

I tried to reply, "Fine, the floor's yours," but when I spoke, no words came out. I tried saying more, but I was completely silent, despite my mouth moving and my vocal chords working.

"Psychic-types are just full of fun little parlor tricks," the Hypno said in a disturbingly giddy tone. "Anyway, I'll begin. My name is Nemas, and what you see around you is the business I manage. Humans..." Nemas paused to chuckle, "...you're an odd bunch. You have a desire to mate that puts even wild Flareon to shame. And not all of you are quite content staying within your Egg Group. That's where my little business comes into play. Don't get the wrong idea. When I describe humans has having their own Egg Group, that actually makes room for things to sound a lot nicer than they're often made out to be. Mating outside of our Egg Groups is something Pokemon do all the time, I assure you.

"Ah, I've gotten off-topic. Let me resume. What I do is provide a space for humans to live out their little fantasies, away from their culture of disgusting taboo. What I do is rather lucrative, too. Oh, but you're concerned about the Pokemon I manage, aren't you? Don't worry, they get paid as well... with more days in which they live and/or not suffer punishment for failing to perform." He gave a chuckle that sent chills down my spine.

"Finally, we get to why you're here right now," Nemas continued. "It doesn't take a Sentret with Keen Eye to know you didn't belong. Of course, we can't have a goody two-shoes Trainer like you leave our little establishment and possibly leak what we do to Officer Jenny, now can we? You noticed the human staff around here, right? Friendly bunch, I tell ya. Do you know what makes them so friendly, though?" He raised his left hand, and I realized that, with everything that had been going on just now, I completely failed to notice that his left hand was clenched this entire time. He held his left hand up and opened it, his palm facing down, and from his hand fell a small copper pendant suspended in midair by a circular string, the other end of which was held by Nemas' index finger. "That's right. A Hypno's specialty. A little Hypnosis, and I can put a smile on anyone's face. Obviously, I wouldn't do such a thing to the Pokemon I have employed. That would take the sincerity out of their service. The humans, on the other hand, don't require the same level of finness. Fortunate for me... but unfortunate for you." I could feel my pulse quicken as I desperately tried to look at anything but Nemas' pendant. However, I felt him grip my head with Psychic and hold me still, facing forward. Before he brought his pendant up, though, I felt that odd sensation from before again. "Before I make you my newest slave, though, tell me something. Did you interact with a Leafeon? And if you did, did she have an egg?"

I stared Nemas down with a look of sheer determination. "Yes," I replied, partially relieved to hear my own voice again. "I saw a Leafeon, and I'm going to break her and the rest of the Pokemon here out... along with her egg."

The Hypno formed a disturbing smile. "You're a cute little trainer, you know that?" he said. "Acting all tough even after you've been utterly defeated. I just might make you my personal pet."

"Don't believe me?" I asked with a smile of my own. "I'm currently missing three Pokeballs from my belt. Your employees didn't take them. I 'dropped' them myself."

"I've had enough of this," Nemas insisted, raising his pendant up in front of my face. "It was cute before, but I'm officially sick of you."

He started swinging his pendant. I tried desperately to focus anywhere else, but the moving object in front of me was too enticing for my eyes to resist. I felt like I was getting drawn into the center...

"FIRE!"

A sudden shout snapped me back to reality, and Nemas turned around to the source of the shout as well. One of the Scrafty barged into the room, coughing, smoke from the hallway following close behind.

"Nemas, sir!" the Scrafty shouted. "A fire broke out at the bar, and it's engulfing most of the complex. Most of the Pokemon were near the entrance when it started, and Ghost Signal was quick to open the door, but we still have a lot of Pokemon and patrons alike inside. The flames aside, the ventilation system won't be able to get the smoke out fast enough. We need to get everyone, as well as you, sir, out of here, before we both burn and suffocate!"

Nemas turned back to me. "Was this your doing?" he growled, seething with rage.

I smiled. "That was actually supposed to be the distraction. Blitz outdid herself, though." I nodded and added, "What a gal."

Nemas clenched his fists and growled. "Forget hypnotizing you. I'm going to leave you in here and let you burn while everyone else escapes." He then turned around and headed out the hallway, turning right, in the direction of that important-seeming door I noted earlier.

Well, I was literally out of the frying pan and into the fire. I managed to avoid becoming Nemas' complete and total bitch, but now I was going to burn to death. That is, if the smoke didn't choke me first. I looked up at the stone ceiling above me, quickly being obscured by black smoke. "I just hope everyone else gets out okay..." I found myself thinking out loud.

I heard something that snapped me back to reality. I couldn't make it out, but it sounded like some kind of loud "pop!" I looked out to the door that Nemas had left open, and saw a Leafeon stumbling into the room. She was drawing smoke into her body, causing her coat to turn a sickly brown, before pushing air out of her and creating a small pocket of clean air, which caused the "pop!" sound. At least, that's what I assumed she was doing, trying to recall something I'd read from Bonnie's Pokedex when I was younger.

And she had her egg, which was a pure white with red and blue shapes all over it, secured to her side with a vine.

"Leaf...!" she called to me as she staggered into the room. She leapt up and used Leaf Blade to cut my binds in sequence from my feet to my hands, freeing me and letting me drop to the ground.

"Thank you," I said. "You need to get out of here."

The Leafeon shook her head, then pointed her nose in the direction Nemas fled. "Leaf Leaf, Leafeon!"

I suddenly found myself a bit peeved that my ability to understand Pokemon had left the room with Nemas, but I understood what the Leafeon wanted to say loud and clear. Despite the building burning around us, and apparently despite the state the Leafeon was in, we had to deal with Nemas ourselves. If he got away, he'd only create more facilities like this in the future, and cause more Pokemon to suffer.

I didn't have any Pokemon by my side sans this Leafeon, but I had to do something...


	7. Entry 7: Fahrenheit 468

My name was Ki. I hated that name with all my heart, and I wasn't a very hateful Pokemon. It was the name my old trainer, Mimi, gave me, long before she abandoned me at that Daycare with _Him_ …

Life at the Daycare was hard, no pun intended. Every day, there was a new human or sometimes another Pokemon that stared at me with those disturbing predatory eyes for the longest time before they came up, grabbed me, and had their way with me. I make it sound like I'm the only one who suffers that fate when I say it like that, but I had to watch it happen to so many other Pokemon on a daily basis, too. It wasn't just one Daycare that I'd lived and was forced to work at, either. The Pokemon that worked directly for _Him_ would often move me (and the others with me, of course) from one Daycare to another, sometimes between different regions.

I was grateful I happened to be at that one in West Sinnoh that day…

I had to hide, primarily because of the Egg that I'd promised to take care of. It wasn't mine, it actually belonged to my mate, but she… I'm not going to talk about that. I also wanted to hide, of course, because it was the time of day when the Fuego Ironworks workers got off their shift and came here to relax from their day of work by violating the Pokemon who worked here – myself included, some days – in increasingly more disturbing ways. A potted plant in the corner was my favorite place to hide when I needed to. Not only could I merge and completely camouflage myself with the plant, but I could bury my mate's Egg in the soil, keeping it warm. (This only ever became a problem if a drunk human happened to come and relieve himself in the plant I hid in. The security Scrafty would usually take care of anyone who did this swiftly, though, and fortunately for me, they never actually bothered with the plant, opting instead to focus on the human.)

I thought this was going to happen again when I noticed one trainer walking towards me. I saw him turn in my direction, and I shuddered in fear. I guess he noticed this, because it was after that when he started approaching. I desperately prayed to Arceus for him to just walk away, but he came up to the plant I was hiding in and knelt down to me. He started to reach for the Egg. Instinctively, I shuddered and whimpered.

"Stop…" I softly cried.

To my surprise, he actually pulled his hand back. He stared at me for a moment, puzzled, before he leaned back in.

"Hello…?"

I couldn't believe my ears. His voice was so… soft. A far cry from anything I'd heard in my time at the Daycare.

"Were you… forced to be here?" the trainer continued after a brief pause.

Something about this trainer made me… actually trust him. That was the first time I could say that about any human in ages. He was most certainly different from any other human I've had to deal with. There was a kind of sincerity in his voice that I'd never heard before from any human or Pokemon. Not from Mimi, not from _Him_ , not from any of my handlers, and certainly not from any of the human patrons. Finally, I decided it was okay for me to reply.

"Yes, I was…"

A few minutes passed, in which he devised a plan to break this place down and all of us who were forced to be here out. I showed him my mate's Egg, and he made sure to leave another of his Pokemon to cover me specifically. A Piplup he called Princess. I looked down at her, and she seemed startled to see my eyes. As the trainer walked away, I separated myself from the plant I was hiding in and looked out a little.

"H-hello…" I said to Princess. "My name's Ki."

"Princess the Piplup," she replied with a haughty pose. "It will be my royal responsibility to protect you and your Egg from harm. Bear in mind, this is because I _choose_ to, not because I was told to do so."

I couldn't help but chuckle a little. I'd never seen a Piplup before, so I never knew they acted this way. It was really cute, honestly. That's when I realized, that was the first time I'd so much as smiled in a long time. The last time I could remember smiling was before my mate… dammit. I said I wasn't going to talk about that.

I was about to ask Princess if she wanted me to do anything when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the trainer approached by one of the hypnotized human workers, accompanied by the two security Scrafty. I leaped out of my plant to go help him, but Princess held me back.

"Marcus can take care of himself," she said to me in a reassuring tone. "With the way he tries to boss me around, I can tell he's well worthy of being my escort."

That's when I saw the Scrafty grab Marcus and drag him off. I knew where they were taking him, too. To the Discipline Hall, a place where the things the humans out here did to us were made to look like mere hatchling's play. Even describing it on paper gives me terrible flashbacks of what they did to me in that Hall, so I'm going to quickly move on.

"Shit…" I muttered. "He's not coming out of there. What do we do now?"

"I'll tell you what we do now," an unfamiliar voice said to my right. Princess and I both turned around to see a small floating Pokeball. Before I questioned this phenomenon, however, a black-and-blue Zorua suddenly materialized before us, the Pokeball being carried in her mouth. She set the Pokeball on the ground in front of her and looked up at us with a smile. "We proceed with Marcus' plan, but we bust him out as well as everyone else." The Zorua then turned to me. "I'm Marie. Wanna tell me your name?"

I shook my head. "I don't like saying my name too much," I admitted. "It reminds me of the trainer who abandoned me here…"

"Oh…" Marie said, folding her ears and frowning. "Sorry I asked, then." She then shook her head and re-assumed her original attitude. "Alright, here's what we need to do. I still need to warn the Pokemon here. That means Princess…" Marie took the Pokeball back into her mouth, and thrust it into Princess' chest, who reeled back with a disgusted look on her face.

"Marie, that was on the ground, and you put it in your mouth!" the Piplup cried. "Now you want me to touch it?"

"Shh!" Marie hissed. "Just take it. It has to be up to you to release Blitz if it looks like any of us are about to be discovered."

Reluctantly, Princess took the Pokeball, trying to hold it with as little of her flipper and as far away from her as possible. "What do I do to release Blitz?" she asked.

Marie walked up and pointed at the white button in the center of the Pokeball. "Tap this, let it expand, then just let it fall to the ground," the Zorua explained. "The simplest of human-made items for a Pokemon to learn how to use. Lucky Bonnie showed me how to open these…" Marie looked down and frowned again when she said that name. Something told me there was some kind of past I didn't exactly need to know about, but was curious about. I didn't pry, however. I didn't want them to start asking about Mimi, after all.

"Alright, everyone try to act casual," Marie continued. "I hate to say it, but it might be a good idea for you two to try to mix into the crowd."

"Out of the question," I protested. "I made a promise to protect this Egg with my life, and there's no way I'm putting it in jeopardy by going out there."

Marie shook her head. "Alright, fine," she said. "But you two need to make yourselves as scarce as possible. All it'll take is one human to glance back at this corner, seeing a Piplup and a Leafeon standing around, and telling the wrong person for everything to go wrong."

"Or a Piplup, a Leafeon, and a Zorua," Princess commented.

Marie groaned. "Point taken. Just try to hide, okay?" With that, the Zorua turned invisible again and headed off into the crowd. (That's what I assumed she did, at least.) Meanwhile, I leaped back into my plant. I saw Princess clutch the Pokeball in her flipper before crossing her arms and leaning against my pot, trying to look and act cool. If I could, I would have facepawed at the sight.

We waited for what felt like an eternity. In reality, however, it was likely just a few minutes. I couldn't help but think about what was happening to Marcus. Nemas usually hypnotized humans who tried to cause trouble and turned them into workers for the Daycare, but not without torturing them first. I wondered if the two Scrafty who had him held "warmed him up" beforehand, as well. I desperately wanted to push these thoughts out of my mind, but I had nothing else to focus on at the time. At least, not until I noticed a lot of the Pokemon slaves were gravitating towards the door. Was something about to happen…?

"Ki, grab your Egg," Princess suddenly whispered to me. I looked up, and one of the Scrafty was walking towards us. I cursed mentally before reaching down using Vine Whip, under the soil, and wrapping my vine around my mate's Egg.

"What are you doing all the way out here, little Piplup?" the Scrafty asked. "Shouldn't you be out there, earning your right to live?"

"Excuse you, sir!" Princess suddenly exclaimed. Yup, she was gonna get us killed, and that's if we were lucky. "You realize you are talking to a Pokemon with royal blood, correct? I would prefer to be addressed as-" Princess was cut off when the Scrafty reached down and grabbed her by the throat.

"He he…" the Scrafty chuckled darkly as he lifted Princess, who was struggling. "Royal blood, huh? You and I could make a pretty royal egg together, then…" He reached up and ran the back of his finger along Princess' cheek. With a smirk, he added, "Oh dear. All of a sudden, neither of my hands are holding my pants up…"

I couldn't bear this. I leaped out of my plant and used Tackle to ram right into the Scrafty's stomach, knocking him backwards and freeing Princess, who fell to the ground. She got up and shuddered. "I… I need a shower after that…" the Piplup said while shaking.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," I said, fully understanding her pain and then some, "but you need to focus. Now that they know I'm involved, we need that distraction now!"

Princess shook herself off and nodded, reaching down and picking up Blitz's Pokeball, which she'd dropped while it was still in its compressed state. She tapped the button, expanding it, and tossed it down. The Pokeball opened up, and a Ponyta materialized before us.

"Alright, distraction ti-!" the Ponyta started, looking like she was about to fire an Ember forward. However, she stopped herself, choking on her own attack for a moment, when she realized we were standing in her potential path of destruction. "Princess! Who's this Leafeon? Where's Marcus?"

"The one we need to cover, and in serious trouble," Princess replied. "And it seems we're in a rush. Your specialty, right Blitz?"

I pointed in the direction of the bar. "All that liquid over there is flammable," I said to the Ponyta. "If you want a distraction, burn literally anything else. You want this place to go up in flames? That's where you aim."

"Marcus did say property damage was okay…" Blitz mused while tapping her chin.

"No time to muse!" I shouted, noticing that the Scrafty was getting up from my Tackle. Apparently, I'd knocked the wind out of him, but that didn't last long. "Do what you do best and burn something!"

Blitz frowned for a moment – I couldn't tell why at the time – but nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. She turned and started galloping towards the bar. I then turned towards the door.

"Marie, if you're there, get everyone out now!" I shouted.

Marie appeared literally out of nowhere near the door, and turned to where Ghost Signal, the Rotom they had captive for the sake of operating the electronics, was hidden. Before he could open the door, however, there was what sounded like an explosion at the bar. I was apparently right to point Blitz in that direction. After the alcohol ignited, Ghost Signal opened the door quickly, and people and Pokemon alike started flooding out to escape the rapidly-spreading flames. Meanwhile, Marie and Blitz rushed to regroup with Princess and I.

"What do we do now?" Marie asked. "Pray and hope no one dies rushing up the stairs?"

"I admit, that part wasn't well thought through," I replied. I looked over, and realized the Scrafty had disappeared instead of trying to attack us again. He'd gone to warn Nemas!

"We still have to save Marcus," Princess said, snapping me back to reality. Suddenly, she started coughing. Marie did the same. Of course! We were underground, so this place was going to fill up with smoke fast. Blitz wasn't going to be too badly affected, being a Fire-type, and I could filter the smoke and create pockets of air around me using photosynthesis… for a while, at least. It wouldn't last forever without actual sunlight.

"It's not safe for you two down here," I said to Princess and Marie. "Get on Blitz's back and ride out of here. The smoke will make you too weak to move before too long."

"What about you and Marcus?" Blitz asked as she leaned down for the two smaller Pokemon to climb onto her back, both still coughing and seeming a little woozy at this point.

"I'll go save him," I replied firmly. I then looked down at the Egg I now had secured to my side with my vine. "I owe him that much. He risked himself and you three to save me and everyone else held here. Now go! Your friends can't last much longer down here!"

Blitz nodded, and quickly made her way out the door, being careful not to let Princess or Marie fall. I saw Ghost Signal depart from the door's keypad and zip out and up the stairs in kind. That left me to brave what was once the Daycare's common room, but now was a raging inferno. I took a deep breath, drawing in the smoke around me, and using the light of the flames around me to perform photosynthesis and filter the smoke to produce clean air. It created an air bubble around me, accompanied by a loud "pop!" sound, but the air bubble didn't last long, and smoked surrounded me again. I could use a smaller and much easier version of this process to breathe, but I had the Egg to worry about. I wanted to keep as much smoke off of it as I could. I didn't know if the smoke would affect the Pokemon inside, but I knew I didn't want to take the risk, despite all the risks I was already taking with it.

I leaped through flames, dodged falling debris, and all the while continued to create pockets of air for the Egg to breathe. All of this was starting to weaken me as I made my way into the Discipline Hall, however. I thought I would have trouble finding Marcus in here, but to my surprise, I got in just in time to see Nemas and one of the Scrafty leave a room towards the end of the hall and turn towards Nemas' office. That had to have been Marcus' room! I desperately hoped, at least, as I ran as quickly as I could towards that room. I was at the pace of a stagger by the time I got in there, though.

"Marcus…!" I called into the room. I found him in the back, tied to the wall. Luckily, it didn't seem like he'd been hypnotized. I staggered in, and leaped up, preparing a Leaf Blade, before slashing his binds apart, freeing him.

"Thank you," he said to me. "You need to get out of here."

"I'm not leaving yet!" I called while shaking my head. I then pointed myself in the direction Nemas fled. I hoped to communicate to Marcus that we had to chase him down. If Nemas fled, he'd go to _Him_ , and that would cause an absolute, unexaggerated catastrophe for both myself and Marcus.

Fortunately, Marcus seemed to understand, and came with me to Nemas's office. I leaped up onto his shoulder and tried to create some air for him to breathe, but I was starting to become really weak at this point. I wasn't sure I had strength left to fight…

Despite my weakened state, I had to be ready when Marcus burst through the door. "Nemas!" he called angrily. "We're here to- holy crap!"

I didn't see any fire spread through the Discipline Hall, just smoke. However, Nemas' office was currently on fire as well. The sides were, at least, and the flames were slowly spreading. I looked around, and realized that the two security Scrafty were laying on the ground on either side of us, both with debris lodged in them. They were dead.

And in the middle of it all, Nemas was sitting behind a desk, a disturbing smile on his face, and quiet but equally disturbing laughter coming from him.

"What the hell…?" Marcus asked as he relaxed his stance a little.

"I… I put so much into this Daycare…" Nemas said between laughs. "And in one fell swoop… one trainer was all it took… for everything to snap! HA-HAHA!"

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This fire had apparently caused Nemas to lose all mental control and go crazy.

"Really?" Marcus asked, seeming to understand exactly what Nemas was saying. Apparently, their psychic link was still active. "I burn your shit-hole 'business' down and you just lose it?"

"You… don't seem to understand," Nemas continued, still laughing. "What you've seen – what you destroyed – it was just the tip of the iceberg. Haha… you've caused far more damage than you know, and we're all going to suffer for it! AH-HAHAHA…!" Nemas suddenly stood up and pointed at the two dead Scrafty. "They were going to suffer too, but I saved them. I spared them a fate worse than death! Knowing that I can still save the people _He_ will go after now will save me from burning in Hell, even if it means burning here first. I'm a saint! I'm a saint! I'm a saint… but I can't just save them. Ki…" He pointed at me. "I can save you, too. I can save your Egg, and I can save this trainer! I'll only save myself last, so I can save you all from the Devil!" He accentuated this point with a terrifying burst of uncontrollable laughter.

"What…?" Marcus asked, seeming thoroughly confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"So you don't choose to die…?" Nemas asked, seeming legitimately confused. "You want to suffer what _He_ will do to you?" He turned to me. "And Ki… you actually know what's in store for you, yet you'll live, and bring that child into the same world _He_ lives in?"

I looked down for a moment, not saying anything. I turned to the Egg, and thought about the Pokemon inside of it. Its fate was going to be cruel… but I made a promise. I turned to Nemas. "Go to Hell," I replied firmly.

Nemas was silent for a moment, looking at Marcus and I with an astonished expression as sat back down and leaned back in his chair. "You're adamant about this, aren't you…?" the Hypno asked. There was a moment's pause, in which all that could be heard was the crackling of the flames around us. Then, all of a sudden, Nemas burst out laughing again and stood up, knocking both his chair and his desk away. "I tried to save you two, but you want to suffer! You're masochists! You won't take the route of least pain because you want _His_ hand to strike you down slowly and agonizingly! How could I stop you, then? Arceus will forgive me as long as I tried!" He pointed to a door in the corner of the room. "There's an emergency staircase through that door leading up and out of here. Take it if you want to meet the most agonizing end you could imagine! Or you could still stay here and burn with us…"

"Why are you doing this?" Marcus shouted. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'll tell you what's wrong with me!" Nemas shouted back with insanity in his voice as his eyes started glowing blue and he raised his hands into the air. All of a sudden, a section of ceiling above him started cracking. "I've seen things! Horrible things that shouldn't exist in this world! All because of that… that _thing_ I made a deal with! I signed my soul to him! I SIGNED MY SOUL TO THE DEVIL HIMSELF!"

"Nemas, wait!" Marcus shouted as he ran after the Hypno, but it was too late. Nemas used Psychic to tear out a chunk of concrete from the ceiling… and drop it directly on him. It was a slab about an inch thick, and it broke in half as it hit his head. Nemas collapsed, and Marcus ran to him, myself still on his shoulder. We both looked down at the Hypno, who wasn't immediately killed by his own actions. He had a real bad gash on his head that was gushing blood, but he was still chuckling and sobbing at the same time. "Damn… I think we can still get him to the Pokemon Center, though. Ki – that's what he called you, right? – help me move him!"

"Leave… me…" Nemas croaked. Marcus seemed to still be able to understand the Hypno, despite the injury he had just sustained. "I choose… the sweet… luxury… of death… I choose… to burn… and curse… that vile… creature… to burn… as well…" Nemas took his last desperate gasp for air. "Go to Hell… Vale, my master…!"

His head then fell to the side, and his eyes glazed over. Nemas had finally died.

Marcus clenched his fist as he stared down at the lifeless Hypno. "You were a monster…" the trainer said, "but you didn't deserve what you did to yourself…"

Suddenly, more debris started falling from the ceiling. The fire was getting out of control, not to mention what Nemas had just done. "We have to move!" I called to Marcus.

He turned to me, his expression telling me that he now couldn't understand me. But he seemed to know what I was saying anyway and nodded. "Let's get out of here," he said to me. He then got up, making sure I was secure on his shoulder, before running for the door.

The staircase on the other side seemed daunting, and it started filling with smoke and fire fast once the door was open. Still, Marcus bounded up the steps with a speed I'd never seen a human achieve before. What I assumed was this: he'd lost Nemas already, so he was absolutely determined to keep both me and my Egg – ones who actually deserved to live – from suffering the same fate.

When we were about halfway up the stairs, disaster struck. As though it were Nemas' ghost dealing one last spiteful blow to me, something behind the wall we were next to exploded from the flames – a gas pipe, as Marcus would later hypothesize – and I got knocked off of Marcus' shoulder, my Egg flying away from my grip. I desperately tried to reach out with my vine to keep it from striking the ground, but I wasn't fast enough. Fortunately, however, Marcus was quick to catch it himself. He tried to catch me as well, but he couldn't reach far enough, and I impacted on the stairs and tumbled several steps down, right into the flames. I could feel the flames engulf me, and half my body actually caught fire. I didn't scream, though. I barely even felt pain. I looked up, and saw that Marcus had my Egg. The Egg I promised to keep safe was in good hands.

In that instant, I decided something else. There really was a fate worse than death waiting for me out there, like Nemas said. Maybe burning now really was a luxury…

I was about to lay down and accept death, but then, all of a sudden, a hand grabbed me by my midsection and pulled me out. I looked up, and it was Marcus who grabbed me, but he had to reach through the encroaching flames to get to me. He called out in pain, but pulled me back anyway, placed me under his arm, and started running up the stairs again, not seeming to care that my extremities were still burning, the flames licking at him. (I'd find out later that the jacket he wore was fireproof, which was why he didn't seem as fazed by the fire as he should have been.)

At last, we got to the top of the stairs, and there was a door in front of us. Marcus dove through the door, and immediately got to rolling in the grass beyond the door to put out the fires on himself and me. This went on for a few seconds before the flames were finally out. Marcus was quick to get up, but I laid there on the ground after he let me go. I didn't know what else to do. I wanted to go back in there and let the flames finish me, I wanted to leap up and hug Marcus, I wanted to snatch my Egg from his arms and run away, I wanted to just fade into the grass and disappear… all at the same time. It was as through my mind couldn't process what had just happened at all, so it just froze completely.

"Are you okay?" Marcus asked me, though I could barely hear him. I glanced up, and he was kneeling next to me, a look of concern on his face. He handed me my Egg and smiled a little. "I, uh… made sure to keep this safe for you."

He set the Egg on the ground next to me. Instinctively, I curled my legs and body around it. It was at this moment that I think I finally realized the extent of my burns. My paws were charred black, as was the tip of my tail. There were several burn marks all over my body, and with a flick of my right ear, I could tell the tip of it was completely gone. I was sure there was more damage that I couldn't see, too.

Yet I was alive. How? And for that matter… why?

As it turned out, we had emerged in the yard in the back of the Daycare, so we didn't have much of a walk back to the front, where most of the humans and Pokemon were gathered, along with the Fire and Police Departments. I didn't bother with them, however. I was standing off to the side, my Egg still safe and secure with me, talking with Marcus, who had gathered his team around me. Marie had turned into a purple-and-black-themed human girl whose dress and appearance made me think she would have been prime fodder for the Daycare in this state… you know, if they enslaved humans as well.

"I'm sorry you've had to go through everything you went through," Marcus said to me. "Listen, if what Nemas said was true, and there really is a terrible fate awaiting us both now…" He reached behind himself, and then pulled out a Pokeball and presented it to me. I noticed that there were several blisters on his hand from when he grabbed me. Did he even notice those…? "…It would probably be safer if we could protect each other. Don't you think?"

I was stunned by this turn of events. This man had just risked his life to save me, and now he was really offering me a chance to travel with him. He started going into some speech about how he was selfish and wanted us to trust each other or something like that. I honestly zoned out. Seeing that Pokeball in his hand, it made me think back to Mimi. The day she caught me when I was just an Eevee, how we spent hours training in Pinwheel Forest before I finally evolved into a Leafeon, all the battles we had together… the day she took me to that Daycare, where she just left me without saying a word…

I suddenly screamed and took several steps backwards. I started panting and sweating as I looked up at Marcus, who seemed confused. Marie, Princess, and Blitz looked at me with equal concern. "Ki, are you alright?" Marie asked me.

My eyes darted left and right. I knew who I was actually looking at, but their faces kept morphing into the faces of Mimi, Nemas, the Scrafty, and… and Vale.

But worst of all, when I looked just past Marcus, I thought I could see my old mate. Mary, the most beautiful Togekiss in all of Sinnoh. At least, she was until what Vale did to her in her final moments…

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" I shouted as I launched an Energy Ball at their feet. The attack kicked up a huge cloud of dust. That was when I turned around and ran away in a panic. I didn't know why I ran. Marcus wasn't Mimi, he wasn't Nemas, and he wasn't that vile devil. I could have been safe with him, but something in me snapped, just as it had with Nemas. All I knew at that moment was that I had to run, and keep running.

It was the only way I knew how to keep Mary's Egg safe…


	8. Entry 8: Ashes

The Daycare was a complete and total loss. The building burned to the ground, and the rooms below had completely caved in. A number of people and Pokemon lost their lives in the wreckage below ground, and several more were injured, but the majority of those who were in there were able to escape thanks to Marcus. A lot of humans were arrested, including the hypnotized workers, the latter of whom kept claiming they didn't know anything and that the last thing they remembered was some kind of prison cell and a Psychic-Type Pokemon talking to them. From what we gathered based on that information, Nemas wasn't the only one who did the hypnotizing, which was a scary thought for a number of reasons, not the least of which being that this meant there were definitely more Daycares like this out there. Many more humans and Pokemon were brought back to Jubilife City for questioning, Marcus, Marie, Princess, and myself included.

I was the prime target for charges of arson, destruction of property, manslaughter, and Pokeslaughter, but between me defending myself by saying I acted in self-defense because a human forcefully grabbed my thigh, (which I lied through my teeth on, actually) as well as saying that I had a hoof in evacuating several of the Pokemon, combined with the testimonies of Marcus, Marie, and Princess, as well as a couple other Pokemon, all, in one form or another, stating that we all witnessed the horrors that went on in that Daycare, and that Marcus was acting to free those who were held against their will, we actually got all the charges dropped. The police seemed satisfied with the outcome, at least, as they got to arrest several dozen humans for a crime they called "Pokephilia."

They were none too happy when they heard what happened to the supposed ringleaders of the operation, though.

Before we left Jubilife yet again, Marcus was having a talk with Officer Jenny at the town border, myself and Marie flanking him, and a Growlithe with Jenny.

"So let me see if I've got this straight," Officer Jenny said to Marcus with a look of disbelief. "You think this whole 'Daycare' incident was part of something much larger – inter-region, in fact – and that the real mastermind behind it all is still out there somewhere?"

Marcus nodded. "And whoever this mastermind is, I've already been told he or she is looking for me as we speak," he replied with firmness in his voice.

Officer Jenny held her forehead and shook her head, mumbling something about "Team Galactic" before turning back to Marcus. "I'm afraid I don't have any manpower to spare if you need any sort of assistance from us," she said, "but I'll make sure ears are kept open across Sinnoh. It's the least I can do."

"Thanks," Marcus said with a smile and a nod. We were about to turn and leave when Officer Jenny called for us to wait a moment. Marcus turned back to Jenny.

"Continue your journey with your head held high," Jenny said with a smile. "You saved a lot of Pokemon yesterday, and you helped us bust a bunch of people for one of the worst crimes out there. You've got a real future in law enforcement, kid. In fact, come find me when and after you beat the Sinnoh League. I'll put a good word in for you."

"Thank you," Marcus replied with a chuckle, "but I'll have to decline for now. I'm journeying for my own reasons." He looked down at Marie and I for a moment before looking back to Officer Jenny. "And you're looking at two of those reasons right now."

Officer Jenny shrugged, but didn't break her smile. "You've got time to think," she said. She then waved as Marcus, Marie, and I turned and walked off again.

We made another pass through Floaroma Town. Marcus once again kinda walked straight through it, which I appreciated. I'm not really one for flowers, anyway.

We passed by the Fuego Ironworks on our way to Eterna Forest, and it seemed like it was closed down, with police all around it. Apparently the Ironworks employees that were at the Daycare had messed things up real bad for the place… but that was neither here nor there for us.

We went through Eterna Forest, and I could tell that Princess wouldn't have had a good time if she were out with Marie or I. The place had all sorts of Grass- and Bug-Type Pokemon all over. From what I'd gathered of Princess' personality, she would have screamed the second we stepped foot, paw, and hoof in that forest.

Marcus had me doing a lot of the battling as we made our way through the maze of tall grass and trees, since I had the type advantage over most of the wild Pokemon. Of course, he made sure my injuries and ailments were completely healed after each battle using a seemingly bottomless medicine pocket in his bag. He'd occasionally switch me out for Marie if it looked like I was about to get too badly injured in a battle. For the most part, we steamrolled the wild Pokemon around here. I guess that experience with the Daycare made each of us a lot stronger than we realized.

The whole time, however, Marcus always seemed distracted. At one point when we'd stopped to sit down and rest against a large, mossy rock, I asked him what was on his mind.

"I can't stop thinking about that Leafeon," he explained to me after Marie translated what I said. "She… really seemed broken. When we were trying to escape, she fell into the flames. I reached in to grab her, and I noticed that she wasn't screaming in pain or panicking or anything. Like she'd accepted death, despite the fact that she had an Egg to protect. Then she ran from us. That panicked look in her eyes… I can't imagine what she's been through, and now that she's alone… and if what she said about this Vale character being after her now is true… I really don't think she's safe."

I trotted over and laid down, resting my chin on Marcus' thigh and looking up at him. "Try not to worry about it, Marcus," I reassured him. "I'm sure she's fine. She's probably found a good place to hide out and live peacefully here in the forest."

Marcus looked down and smiled, reaching down and patting me on the head, between my ears. It was such a wonderful feeling, I couldn't help but smile as he did this! "You're right, Blitz," he said. "Maybe I really am worried about nothing…"

"Hey, how come you never pet me like that?" Marie protested. We both looked over at her, and Marcus smiled.

"Get over here, sis," he said with a chuckle. "I've got two hands, after all."

Marie grinned before going back to her Zorua form and trotting over to Marcus' other leg, resting her chin on his thigh right in front of me and letting Marcus pet her as well. We all just sat there for the longest time, lost in each other's feelings of warmth.

Of course, Ki was still at the back of each of our minds, no matter what we did…

Before long, we were in Eterna City. The Pokemon Center was our first stop, of course. After that, Marcus went to the Poke Mart to restock on Potions and Antidotes, both of which he apparently ran out of during our trek through Eterna Forest. Lucky neither Marie nor I fainted during that last leg of the journey, I suppose.

That evening, just before sundown, Marcus recalled Marie and I, saying he had a surprise for us before we went to sleep. I patiently waited in my Pokeball for what felt like about an hour. I was just about to fall asleep right there when I felt the Pokeball open up and release me. The first thing I noticed was both Marie and Princess get released next to me to my right. The second thing I noticed was the large table full of food in front of us!

Between the three of us, we gave several exclamations the likes of, "Whoa!" "Holy crap!" and " _Dios mio!_ " I managed to tear my eyes from the glorious sight for just a moment to turn to Marcus.

"I thought we deserved a little treat after what we did yesterday," Marcus explained with a smile, not even needing any of us to ask anything, "so I thought a trip to a nice restaurant would do us good. Well, you three did all the legwork back there. I sorta… hid in the back, I guess."

We all had a good chuckle at this, and I'd say laughing after an experience as horrible as that Daycare was good for each of us. Suddenly, however, our laughter was interrupted by an all-too-familiar sound. The sound of a loudly-rumbling stomach. Ironically, however, it wasn't mine like I assumed it was at first. We all looked towards Princess, who was trying to look away while blushing.

"I wanted to eat lunch fast so I could get back in my Pokeball and away from all those bugs…" Princess defended.

Marcus chuckled, and gave us the go-ahead to dig in. We all leaped onto three chairs that were at almost tailored heights for each of us to sit comfortably and reach the table with equal comfort. The setup Marcus managed was amazing. There was all kinds of food I'd never seen before in my life! Berries, salads, assorted meats from Pokemon I didn't even know about… it was a feast unlike any I could have ever dreamed of!

"Eat as much as you three want," Marcus said as he noticed all three of us had paused to admire the table before us. "I made sure to order enough for each of us. You've got the combined gratitude and generosity of the Jubilife Police Department to thank for that."

I honestly didn't hear the last part of what Marcus said. As soon as he told us we could eat as much as we wanted, I practically dove into the food in front of me muzzle-first. Everything past that for the next fifteen minutes was a complete and total blur of flying crumbs and incredible experiences for my taste buds.

After that fifteen minutes had passed, the four of us had managed to strip the table bare of everything edible. (I may or may not have gotten carried away and tried to eat some of the garnish as well…) I had never felt so full in my life. I felt like I literally couldn't move, and from the noises Marie and Princess were making, I could tell they felt the same way.

I knew Marcus had gotten his fill as well, but the way he continued to carry himself as he got up to pay the bill, he was doing a good job of hiding whether he had any stomach pains himself. He returned to us with a smirk and one hand hidden behind his back.

"Anyone still have room for mints?" he asked as he presented a handful of four small mints that had the shape and design of Voltorb.

"No… more… food…" I groaned as I eyed those mints.

I imagine I conked out with some serious force when Marcus returned me to my Pokeball after dinner. Marie and Princess would later tell me they did the same thing. I slept soundly all night, and Marcus didn't wake us up until somewhat late that morning. I assumed he gave us all a good 14 hours of sleep, considering that's what Marie liked to take. He gathered all three of us outside the Pokemon Center, where I guess Marcus had stayed for the night.

"It's a good day, my friends," Marcus said to us with a particular pep in his voice. "Primarily because this is the first time in my journey that I've actually been a full day's worth of travel away from home, and I've been out for four days now, counting today."

"I can attest," Marie commented to Princess and I. She was in her normal Zorua form at the moment. I guess Marcus didn't really want her translating for us this morning. Not that we would have had much to say in this particular case, it seemed.

"That's not the only reason it's a good day, though," Marcus continued. He then held his fist forward and donned a determined expression. "Today, we're going to challenge – and beat – the Eterna City Gym. All three of us together!"

The three of us cheered, but Princess was the first to break this enthusiasm and look at Marcus with a confused expression. "Wait, do you mean me too?" she chirped.

"Princess, I know you're weak to Grass-types," Marcus explained, "but don't forget that you learned Peck on our way back from Oreburgh City. Don't worry, I wouldn't leave you high and dry. I've got a strategy, and I'm not even going to use you unless I really have to." He then turned to me. "Blitz, on the other hand. I'm planning on leading with you. Marie, you'll be on-deck. And then, like I said, Princess just in case. That sound good to everyone?"

Apparently, we all thought it was a good idea. We all smiled with the same determination Marcus had and nodded, giving various calls of acknowledgment.

I had never seen a Pokemon Gym before. On the outside, it looked just like any other building in Eterna City. (Maybe a bit overgrown. I'd at first assume they didn't take very good care of this gym.) When we stepped inside, however, what I saw amazed me. The entire place seemed like a greenhouse, various colorful plants growing amid a backdrop of pure green grass and shrubs, and the arena looked like it was literally a gigantic flower. The roof overhead gave way to windows from which sunlight freely flowed down onto the plants within. It was truly beautiful, and as stated previously, I didn't even like plants!

"My, you're an Early Bird, aren't you?" a woman called out to Marcus from the other side of the building. All four of us turned in the direction of the one who called. It was a young human woman with orange and black hair, wearing a green top that revealed a lot of her midsection, and orange shorts. "I only just got here."

"So you're the Gym Leader, then?" Marcus called back as he stepped forward towards the arena, Marie, Princess, and I on his heels.

The woman smirked. "I'm Gardenia, the Eterna City Gym Leader, if that's what you're asking," she said. "Do you always reveal your whole team to your opponent before you battle?"

"Roark asked me the same thing when I challenged him," Marcus replied. "I'll tell you the same thing I told him. I'm proud of my family."

Wait a second… did I ever hear him call us that before now? I knew he had that weird brother/sister relationship with Marie, and I figured out fast that Princess grows on you like mold… but he really considered me family too?

Gardenia nodded at Marcus' statement. "Words so powerful always touch my heart," she said. She then pointed at Marcus. "But words mean nothing unless there's action behind them. I'm sure you know that already!"

Marcus assumed a combative stance, and the three of us followed. I only at this point realized that we were standing in the challenger's box next to the arena. Funny how a conversation can distract one so easily.

"I'm inclined to recall two things that my favorite philosopher once said," Marcus said with a smile. "The first thing I recall, 'The second Gym Leader is always the hardest.' It's easy for a trainer to get cocky after winning their first badge, but it's soon after that the training wheels come off. Believe me, we've all already had firsthand experience with that…"

Gardenia smiled as she drew her Pokeball and prepared for battle. "And the second thing?" she asked.

Marcus looked down and adjusted his cap. He then looked down at me and nodded before turning slightly towards Gardenia so just the bottoms of his eyes were visible under the brim of his cap. "The second thing…" Marcus started. "The second thing is a simple phrase, three words long, that is intended to ignite a fire within the soul that can burn any obstacle in their path, no matter how daunting. I said these words to Roark, I'll say them to you, and I'll take these words all the way to the strongest trainers in the world before I defeat them all and become the best. Those three words…" He then swung his arm and pointed dramatically forward. I took that as my cue from him to rush forward onto the field, into my first gym battle alongside Marcus. Simultaneously, seemingly undaunted by an unavoidable voice crack he suffered, he shouted with pride, "BRING IT ON!"


	9. Entry 9: Phoenix

"If Ponyta's your first pick, then I choose Turtwig!" Gardenia called as she threw her own Pokeball out onto the field. It exploded open, and before me stood my first foe in this gym, a Turtwig. I knew I had the distinct advantage, being a Fire-type and all, but this foe before me seemed entirely undaunted by the odds against it. It stared me down with a smile, even.

"You're not the first Fire-type I've had to face," Turtwig said to me. "And believe me, I've beaten your kind before. Still, though, let's have a clean fight, eh?"

I nodded and smiled. "I'd like that," I replied.

I glanced over to my right to see that the human referee had taken his position on top of a podium to the right of the battlefield, centered and equidistant to both Marcus and Gardenia. "The Gym Battle between Eterna City Gym Leader Gardenia and the challenger, Marcus Lyre of Jubilife City, is about to begin," he called. "Each side will use three Pokemon, and the battle will end when all three of a trainer's Pokemon are unable to battle. Additionally, only the challenger will be allowed to make substitutions in the middle of battle. Trainers, are your Pokemon ready?"

I turned to Marcus, and saw that he was looking back towards me. "We've got this," I said with a determined smile. Marcus smiled back in kind, as though he understood what I'd said.

"If the combatants are ready…" the referee called, "let the battle BEGIN!"

"Turtwig, start this battle out with Headbutt!" Gardenia shouted. Following his trainer's instructions, Turtwig promptly leaped into action, charging at me with his head bowed.

"Blitz, stop it in its tracks with Ember!" Marcus called to me. Immediately, I complied with my trainer's order, the flames starting to well up in my throat. I tilted my head back a bit, then thrust it forward while opening my mouth, releasing a small ball of flame that shot forward in Turtwig's direction. I was sure I was my aim was on-mark, but to my surprise, he sidestepped my attack with a reaction time and movement speed I didn't expect. My Ember harmlessly sailed by him, and before either I or Marcus could react, Turtwig leaped up and gave me a powerful Headbutt right to the base of my neck, causing me to stagger backwards several paces. When I finally regained my hoofing, I looked up to see Turtwig smirking.

"Not bad," he said to me, "but your speed could use a little work. I practically strolled around that Ember."

"Hmph," I replied, turning my head and letting out a small puff of flame from my mouth, which quickly dissipated into the air. "You wouldn't talk so big if you were Burned." I couldn't believe the words coming out of my mouth in that moment, honestly. I never thought I could talk or act like that. Maybe this Turtwig had hurt my pride or something just now. I did consider myself to be pretty handy with Ember, able to hit faraway targets with pinpoint accuracy for one, and able to put a lot of power into it despite being a weaker move for another. But I couldn't hit a target that moves too quickly.

Well, that was okay. I was sure Marcus had a backup plan.

"Okay then, let's try a different approach," Marcus said. "Blitz, get right up in its face and use Stomp!"

I nodded and began galloping forward toward Turtwig. "You're in for it now!" I called. "You can't dodge what's right in your face!"

Turtwig simply stood there and smiled, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Gardenia smirk. "Turtwig, use Grass Knot!" She called. It was too late for me to react. I was already at full gallop when I saw Turtwig's eyes start to glow green. I tried to stop myself, but all too late as I felt my right foreleg get caught by a pair of vines that Turtwig had grown in front of me. I started flying forward towards my face.

At least, that's what Marcus and I had Gardenia believe in that instant.

Before I impacted on the ground, I bowed my head a little and started intensifying my flames. Then, just as I was about to hit, I shifted my weight and rolled forward. Then kept rolling, the rest of my body becoming engulfed in flames. Fluidly, I had turned an unfortunate trip into Flame Wheel, which I had just learned back in Eterna Forest. Marcus thought it would make for a nice little trick, since he knew Gardenia would have some tricks of her own for dealing with Fire-types like myself. After all, only a trickster can beat a trickster.

"Crap!" I heard Turtwig shout as I rolled towards him. I actually couldn't see where I was going at the time, since I had little practice with this move, but I knew when I hit my mark, and hit it I did. I could feel myself impact my foe, and I could hear him call out as he got knocked backwards. Finally, I stopped rolling and got back to my hooves. I stumbled a little, suddenly realizing I was a little dizzy, but I kept my hoofing, and the dizziness passed.

"Might have to work on that," I thought to myself as I shifted my gaze to Turtwig, who looked like he took a lot of damage from that hit. Still, he got up.

"One more hit like that and Turtwig's finished," I heard Marcus think out loud. "Alright Blitz, let's go for a clean finish. Use Flame Wheel one more time!"

"Alright!" I called back with enthusiasm. I started charging forward, quickly going into a dive and starting my spin, my flames burning hotly yet again. Yes, using Flame Wheel made my flames burn hotly like they were supposed to! It was because of this that I delivered that Flame Wheel with such powerful enthusiasm! Additionally, I was apparently growing better at using Flame Wheel, as I could see Turtwig's expression of shock as I quickly approached him, even if it was just several fleeting glances as I rolled. I heard Gardenia make a call, but it was too late. My first Flame Wheel had weakened Turtwig considerably, so even if he could have dodged my attack, he still would've been clipped at the very least, and in position for me do deliver a crushing follow-up Ember. Yet it was the full force of that Flame Wheel that Turtwig felt, and I sent him flying in a glorious fireball against the opposite wall of the gym.

"Turtwig is unable to battle!" the announcer called, as though we couldn't all easily tell that from the way he fell from the wall to the ground in a smoldering heap. "The winner is Blitz!"

I turned and galloped over to Marcus as Gardenia ran to her Turtwig. (I wouldn't find out until later, but I didn't leave Turtwig with any serious or lasting injuries. He made a full recovery. …And yes, I did find and apologize to him eventually.) Marcus leaned down and stroked the side of my face. "That was awesome, Blitz," he said to me.

I looked over and saw Princess huff and turn her beak away. "I probably could've done that too, if I were a Fire-type," she scoffed.

"Hey, watch your beak, Princess," Marcus chuckled. "I might have to send you in next if you don't behave."

Princess looked back towards Marcus and donned a determined expression. "With pleasure," she replied.

"Wait, you really wanna battle next round?" Marcus asked with a confused expression. "Alright. I was joking, but whatever floats your boat."

"Yes," Princess cheered to herself. I took that as my cue. Princess stepped forward onto the battlefield, and I took her spot standing to Marcus' right.

It was at this point that Gardenia had returned Turtwig and retook her spot opposite Marcus. "I can tell you've raised your Ponyta well," Gardenia called with a smile. "Any old Fire-type could easily two-shot poor Turtwig, but it takes a special kind of bond between trainer and Pokemon for the latter to trust you enough to take a hit like Grass Knot and have it be part of a plan."

Marcus chuckled. "You done reading off your script?" he asked.

Gardenia smirked, and presented her second Pokeball. "Joke's on you!" she called. "I've had my script memorized for some time now! That said, time for Act 2! Go, Cherrim!" Gardenia then threw her Pokeball forward, and out of it emerged her next Pokemon, Cherrim. I had never seen a Cherrim before, despite the fact that I sometimes made Cherubi my prey. It honestly looked a little depressing, its petals folded down and over it like that. Still, I had reason to worry, just as much as I hoped Marcus had. The first round went to me because I had the type advantage, but Princess was at a serious disadvantage. If that Cherrim got a solid hit on her, she'd be done for.

Still, I had faith in Marcus. I knew he'd get Princess through this.

"Cherrim, start the battle with Sunny Day!" Gardenia called.

"Praise the sun!" Cherrim called as she raised her petals slightly, and all of a sudden, the clouds above the skylight broke and intense sunlight started streaming into the gym. The effect was evident. I felt good basking in the sun's rays, and I could tell Cherrim did as well, as she immediately transformed into her Sunshine Form, but Princess was another story. In addition to powering up Fire-types like myself and giving boosts to some kinds of Grass-types, intense sunlight like this greatly weakened Water-types like Princess, too.

"Princess, are you still good to fight?" Marcus called.

Princess turned around and nodded. "This sun's gonna be hell on my complexion, but I can make this work," the Piplup commented.

"Alright then," Marcus replied, "open the game with Pound!"

Princess nodded once again and began running forward, raising her flipper and channeling energy into it, causing it to glow white. She gave the tip of her flipper a kiss before leaping up into the air and dropping her attack down hard on the Cherrim, causing it to fall backwards a little. "Hardly a challenge," Princess scoffed.

"Our turn, Cherrim," Gardenia called. "Hit that Piplup with Magical Leaf!"

"Leaf me alone!" Cherrim called in response as she generated a number of colorfully-glowing leaves from her body and shot them directly at Princess.

"Crap!" Marcus called as he watched Princess brace herself for the attack. Suddenly, he clenched his fist and called, "Princess, if you can't dodge that, then use Bide!"

Princess turned to Marcus and nodded once again before she steadied her stance and her body began glowing a light shade of red. The Magical Leaf hit her dead-on, and the Piplup was slid several paces back. Even I had to flinch a little at how much pain I imagined Princess was in as I watched her take that attack like a Machamp. On the other hoof, I saw another trick Marcus had just pulled. If Princess is using Bide, then she won't be moving, and that would render Grass Knot useless. At least Princess was safe from that move, but I couldn't help but fear she wasn't going to last long enough against that Magical Leaf to unleash her Bide…

For a brief moment, I felt Marcus and Gardenia staring each other down, though that measly moment felt a lot longer than that. Princess and Cherrim were doing the same. The only difference, I could tell Princess was panting, despite how she was standing tall and puffing out her chest. If only I were still in there instead of Princess, this mess might not be happening…

"Let's see if your Piplup can survive another one of those!" Gardenia called. "Cherrim, Magical Leaf once more!"

"Checkmate!" Cherrim shouted as she unleashed yet another Magical Leaf. Only this time, she put a little more flourish into her attack, the leaves swirling around Princess a little and setting themselves up all around her before all suddenly attacking at once from literally every direction. Princess wasn't able to brace herself very well, since guarding in one direction left her wide open in the other, and I could tell she was about to go down. I saw her quiver as the attack ended, and she was panting heavily. From where I stood, it even looked like she was sweating.

But she didn't go down.

"You…" Princess started as she shakily stood up straight. "You… just messed… with the wrong Piplup!" Princess shouted as her body began glowing an intense red, and steam started coming off of her.

"Princess, now, unleash your Bide!" Marcus shouted.

" _VOLAIRE VIA_ , CHERRIM!" Princess shouted to the heavens as she reared her head back, all the red energy flowing up her body and concentrating in front of her beak, where a ball of white energy was quickly growing, fed by her Bide. Princess then thrust herself forward, and the ball of white energy turned into a powerful beam of light that rocketed towards Cherrim. The latter Pokemon had absolutely no chance to react as she was suddenly engulfed by the white light, the concentrated pain that she had just inflicted upon Princess being brought back down onto her two-fold all at once. I couldn't tell, but I knew she had been blown backwards, swept up in the beam of energy. Princess's attack lasted for several seconds before the beam of light finally dissipated. Once the dust she had kicked up cleared, Cherrim was laying on the ground in front of Gardenia, utterly defeated. Princess, meanwhile, was hunched over and panting heavily.

I looked over and saw the referee was scratching his head. "This is kind of an understatement, honestly…" he started, "but Cherrim is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Princess!"

Marcus took this opportunity to run out onto the battlefield to Princess, signaling for Marie and I to stay put. We did as we were told, only watching as Marcus got to Princess just in time to catch her as she fell backwards.

"I was… gonna catch myself… thank you very much…" Princess huffed just barely loud enough so that I could hear her from where I was standing, though Marcus likely heard her clearly. (Well, he could hear "Piplup Piplup" clearly, at least.) "I wanted to keep going, but… I'll be nice and step aside to give Marie a chance to do something…"

"It kinda sounds like you're swallowing your pride for once," Marcus said with a chuckle. He then pulled out Princess' Pokeball. "If you've still got energy left, save it for after the battle, so we can all celebrate together. For now, though, rest." Marcus then returned Princess before standing up and looking down at the Pokeball. "Thank you, Princess." He then holstered Princess' Pokeball and walked back to where we were. "Alright sis, your time to shine."

"You got it, Marcus," Marie replied with a nod as she leaped forward onto the battlefield.

"You're pretty fond of ending things with a bang, huh?" Gardenia called as Marcus turned back towards her. "Hey, I can respect that, just as much as I can respect you taking that chance by sending your Piplup out despite her being at a clear disadvantage."

"To be fair, she was supposed to employ an entirely different strategy from what I had her do," Marcus replied with a smile. "But flexibility is a requirement for a Pokemon Trainer, isn't it? Actually, a better term would probably be 'adaptability.'"

Gardenia nodded. "I'd be careful if I were you, though," she said. "You can try to bend all you want, but everyone has a point where they snap if they're careless enough." She then pulled out her last Pokeball. "I've never seen a Zorua in my gym before, so this'll be a first for us. Go, Roserade!"

Gardenia threw her Pokeball up, and out of it emerged the very Pokemon she called: Roserade. Her flower-tipped arms were crossed in front of it in an X shape, her legs were positioned one in front of the other, and she looked up at Marie with a coy expression. "Mmm, never seen anything like you before," Roserade said to Marie. "I'll admit, I like your color scheme. However… just being able to sparkle doesn't make you good when it comes time to tango!" She then did several twirls before striking a pose, small red and blue petals flying off of her and somehow refracting the intense sunlight in such a way that she practically had a spotlight on her.

Marie smirked before leaping forward and diving into a full break dance that lasted for a few seconds before she landed laying on her side, her head resting on her paw, the elbow of which was resting on the ground. "I beg to differ," Marie replied.

"Wait, you can dance, Marie?" Marcus asked, astonishment evident in his voice. I shared the same sentiment, but I kept my muzzle shut for the time being. "When were you going to tell me this?"

"Just because you're my brother, doesn't mean you gotta know everything about me," Marie replied as she rolled, leaped into the air, did a backflip, and landed on all-fours, readying herself for battle. She then looked back up at Roserade, who had assumed her previous closed-off stance. "Now then, care to dance?"

Roserade held her right rosebud out and made a "come on" gesture towards Marie. "Let's see what you've got, kid," she said.

"That Roserade looks fast…" Marcus thought out loud. "Fortunately, Marie's got the remedy for that. Marie, start the battle off with Scary Face!"

"On it!" Marie called back with a nod as she used an illusion to create a terrifying image for Roserade. I couldn't tell what kind of face she used, but it obviously worked as Roserade's calm demeanor faltered a bit and she stepped backwards.

"Perfect," Marcus said with a smile. "A slower foe is easier to deal with. I should've sent Marie out against that Turtwig…"

"Don't lose your footing, Roserade!" Gardenia called. "Move in and hit her with Poison Sting!"

"With pleasure," Roserade replied as she leaned down a little, her rosebud hands beginning to glow purple, before she leaped forward at a speed that was fairly impressive for having been nerfed some, before striking at Marie.

"Marie, dodge that attack and use Fury Swipes!" Marcus called.

Marie nodded, and leaped out of the way of Roserade's initial attack before moving back in, her claws glowing white, and swiping at her foe.

"Roserade, keep using Poison Sting and keep up with that Zorua's Fury Swipes!" Gardenia called.

Just before Marie made contact with her first hit of Fury Swipes, Roserade had moved her still-purple-glowing rose in to block Marie's attack. Marie went in for another hit, but Roserade parried this attack as well. The Bouquet Pokemon then tried to get a hit on Marie, but the Zorua took her turn to parry this attack with her own.

"They're both still taking damage…" I found myself musing out loud. "Each parry lessens the damage they suffer, but they're still gonna get hurt with each hit." I turned to Marcus. "This isn't all you have planned, right?"

Marcus noticed I was talking to him and turned towards me. He seemed like he didn't catch what I was saying for once. "Try not to worry, Blitz," he said to me with a reassuring smile. "Marie can keep up. I know that much."

Meanwhile, Marie and Roserade were still exchanging blows. However, there was one hit that Marie was just barely slower on the draw for, and Roserade took the opportunity to hit her square in the chest, knocking her back several paces.

"Marie!" Marcus called. The Zorua got back to her paws easily, but I saw her wobble a little. She couldn't be… yes, a subtle dry heave from Marie confirmed it. That last hit had Poisoned her. She looked like she was trying to hide this fact from Marcus, though. She was doing a good job, too, because it looked like Marcus hadn't caught on. "Marie, still good to fight?"

Marie nodded, but she didn't speak. She probably knew anything she said would come out shaky, and that would tip Marcus off.

"Alright then, move in with Feint Attack!" Marcus called. Marie nodded, and she began dashing forward, her movements not giving any evidence of her ailment. She began covering herself in a shadowy mist before she leaped up and charged right at Roserade, seeming to vanish entirely for a moment before reappearing and hitting her perfectly.

"There was no way we could've dodged that," Gardenia said. "Even using Grass Knot would've proven useless. Feint Attack would hit no matter what. However, now you're close enough for another hit! Roserade, hit that Zorua with another Poison Sting, then set up a Magical Leaf behind her to keep her within range!"

"Time for the showstopper!" Roserade called with a smirk as she spun around and hit Marie with another Poison Sting, knocking her back again. Roserade quickly followed this up by letting loose a Magical Leaf that whirled behind Marie and started hitting her from behind.

"Oh no, Marie!" Marcus called. "Uh… I've got it! Marie, use an illusion to get out of there!"

"Too late," Gardenia said with a glint in her eye. "Roserade, finish that Zorua off with Solarbeam!"

"Now you're finished!" Roserade shouted as she raised her roses into the air and began channeling solar energy, causing them to glow yellow. Because Cherrim's Sunny Day was still in effect, Roserade spent no time at all charging before she thrust her roses forward, unleashing pure concentrated sunlight right at Marie, who was just then staggering to her paws, and only just looked up as the Solarbeam hit her, engulfing her completely in a similar fashion to how Cherrim suffered Princess' Bide. The attack was fierce, and everyone there, including myself, had to shield their eyes so blindness didn't occur. Once the Solarbeam died down and everyone could see again, it was revealed that Marie had vanished!

"What the…?" Gardenia asked, confused. "What happened to your Zorua?"

"She's here," Marcus replied as Marie stepped out from behind his leg, shaking as she stood. Even I hadn't realized she'd managed to escape. "A Zorua's signature ability is that of illusion. Your Roserade's Solarbeam demolished a fake while the real Marie made her escape." Marcus then shook his head. "That said, I'm going to forfeit Marie. She fought well, but I can't stand to see my sister get hurt any more than she needs to be." Marcus then leaned down to Marie, reaching into his bag and pulling out a Pecha Berry and handing it to the Zorua. "You did a pretty good job of hiding that you were Poisoned, sis, but I can smell the poison coming off of you from here. Why'd you try to keep fighting?"

Marie took the Pecha Berry and ate it, taking a moment to gulp it down before stepping back and transforming into her human form. "I wanted to keep fighting," Marie replied. "I knew you'd call me back prematurely if you knew something was wrong with me." The Zorua-girl smiled a little. "I appreciate how much you care about me, brother, but you can't let your Pokemon getting a few bumps and bruises be the reason you forfeit a battle."

"Marie…" Marcus said as he looked down. "You're right… I would have called you back sooner if I knew something was wrong. I guess… thank you for trying to stick it out." He then pulled out Marie's Pokeball. "Now it's time for you to rest. I don't care if you can still fight, I'm sorry to say I've already forfeited you."

"Fine," Marie replied with a nod.

"Wait," I said, catching the attention of both Marie and Marcus. "Marie, I need you to tell Marcus something for me. Tell him that I want to fight for him until I faint. Tell him I won't let him call me back at the first drop of sweat that breaks off of me. Marcus… my trust in you is absolute, but I want to know your trust in me is the same. I want you to get to that point with Marie and Princess, of course, but please… start with me."

Marie finished relaying my message, and Marcus nodded in understanding. "You couldn't have known I did the same thing for Marie back at the Oreburgh Gym…" he said, "yet somehow you understood quickly that what I did here was going to be a repeat." Marcus looked down, but I could tell he was smiling. "If that's what you want, Blitz… then get in there and go all-out."

"I will!" I cheered as I turned and galloped onto the battlefield, stopping several paces in front of Roserade and readying myself. My ear flicked as I heard the sound of Marcus returning Marie to her Pokeball.

"Your Zorua friend danced pretty well, I have to say," Roserade said to me. "But how well can you light the dance floor?"

"I might not have fancy hoofwork going for me," I replied with a smile, "but I've got enough in me to set you ablaze, at least!"

 _"_ _She and I are both somewhat banged-up from previous battles,"_ I thought to myself. _"I might be in worse shape than she is in that context, but since I have the type advantage, that might put us on even ground_ _if nothing else_ _."_ I turned towards Marcus and nodded. He nodded back. There was no need for words between us after what I'd said before. I then turned back to Roserade. _"Marcus… lead us to victory."_

"Roserade, use Poison Sting!" Gardenia called.

"Blitz, use Flame Charge!" Marcus called at the same time.

I started firing myself up and charged forward, just as Roserade was doing the same. She was too close for me to counter with Ember – I was glad Marcus caught that – but I had to rely on luck for this Flame Charge to connect without that Poison Sting poisoning me. In a split second, our attacks connected. I'd bowed my head to ram Roserade with as much force as I could, and I could feel the thorns of her rose break my skin in several places. However, I also felt my flames do their work, injuring Roserade as I hit. We both leaped backwards at the same time after our attacks connected. Fortunately, I hadn't been Poisoned… that time. Additionally, I could feel the secondary effect of Flame Charge work, my muscles relaxing and my body feeling slightly more nimble than before. With Roserade's decreased speed after Marie's Scary Face, I was sure I could out-speed her now.

"Blitz, keep the distance with Ember!" Marcus called to me. "As many as you can!" I did as I was told, launching several pellets of fire in Roserade's direction.

"Roserade, block those Embers with Magical Leaf!" Gardenia called. "Then follow up with Solarbeam!"

Roserade nodded, and she launched several glowing leaves in my direction. They were all burnt to a crisp by my Embers, but my own attacks were snuffed out by the sheer number of leaves that were fired. Then, suddenly, I realized what Gardenia had called next. I saw Roserade charging her Solarbeam. I braced myself for the attack…

…Yet the attack didn't come. I looked up, and saw that Cherrim's Sunny Day had worn off, and clouds rolled back in. Roserade was stuck charging her attack with limited sunlight!

"Blitz, now's our chance!" Marcus called. "Finish her off with Flame Wheel!"

I wasn't about to look this gift Horsea in the mouth. I nodded in understanding and charged forward, firing my flames up again before diving forward and beginning to roll. Flame Wheel, the one attack that allowed my flames to burn normally without any extra effort. And I couldn't have learned it if Marcus hadn't come along. It was my strongest move at the time, not because of how hard I could hit with it, but because of how it made me feel, and what it meant to me.

Flame Wheel meant Marcus to me, and Marcus meant the world to me.

"TAKE THIS!" I shouted as I neared Roserade, who had only just then managed to charge her Solarbeam. She quickly moved to fire, but it was too late. I hit my mark dead-on, and sent her flying backwards, likely Burned, and definitely fainted. I stopped rolling just in time to watch her hit the ground. She struggled to get back to her feet, but it was no good. She fell back down, sprawled on her back, defeated.

"Roserade is unable to battle!" the referee called. "Gardenia is out of usable Pokemon, so the winner of this Gym Battle is the challenger, Marcus Lyre!"

"We did it!" I heard Marcus cheer. I turned around to see him run up and hug me. I smiled and hugged him back before letting out a sigh of relief.

"For a moment there, I thought you weren't gonna pull through for me," I said with a chuckle.

We broke our embrace just in time to see Gardenia walk up to us. "Not a bad battle," she said to us. "Your style could use some polishing, of course, but I saw a lot of heart out there from both you and your Pokemon. You deserve-"

"Wait," Marcus said. He stood up, unclipped Marie's and Princess' Pokeballs from his belt, and released them both on either side of us. It was evident they were both still tired and beaten from their battles, but they seemed able to stand for now, at least. "Sorry about that, ma'am. I wanted to share this moment with my whole family."

Gardenia chuckled. "Of course," she said with a smile. "Now then, as I was saying, you and your Pokemon definitely showed your stuff, so I hereby present to you…" She reached into her pocked and presented Marcus with, "the Forest Badge."

Marcus smiled as he took it, holding it up for the three of us to see. "This was all your doing, ladies," he said to us. "Bask in the glory now… so we can know what drives us to the next one!"

"Alright!" all three of us cheered at once.

Shortly afterwards, Marcus took us all to the Pokemon Center. The nurses made quick work of healing each of us up, and we were back with Marcus in time for lunch. We didn't have anything fancy like we had last night. Just food from the Pokemon Center's cafeteria.

And then, as quickly as we had arrived in Eterna City, we were on the road again. Our next destination: Hearthome City, where Marcus' – no, where our – next Gym Battle awaited us.

At the time, our morale was at a peak we wouldn't hit again for a long while after that. If I'd known what was coming after that moment, I'd have savored the feeling a little more…


	10. Entry 10: Coronation

It had been a while, but it was Marie and I walking with Marcus once again this time. Didn't he say something about trying to keep us separate as much as possible? Hmm… maybe he just forgot. Whatever the case was, it was I, Princess, and Marie, at Marcus' side as we traveled through a cave within Mt. Coronet, the only way one would be able to reach Hearthome City from Eterna City. I suppose I didn't really have any reason to complain for once, not that I was complaining in the first place. I was just glad to finally be as far away from Grass- and Bug-types as possible.

We were walking on a path that ran alongside a cliff, a small lake beneath us. I could see the exit of the cave some meters away, but we didn't break out into a run. Fortunately enough, all three of us knew to be careful here, lest the cliff collapse and we all wind up in the drink, best case scenario. I had fought a few battles, and Marie had fought a few battles. We were hardly tired, since we were trained well enough at this point, but that didn't mean we weren't a little weary. Still, my senses remained sharp. I kept a Keen Eye out for any dangers that might be lurking. Not that we had any real reason to worry about that sort of thing.

At least, that's what I thought until something moved suspiciously in of the corner of my eye.

I turned around, and thought I saw something blue retreat behind a rock behind us. "Marie, Marcus," I called, "I've reason to believe something's following us."

Both Marie and Marcus turned around and looked in the direction I was facing. Of course, all they saw now was a normal rock. "Something the matter, Princess?" Marcus asked as Marie transformed and got ready to translate for me.

"I could have sworn I saw something just now," I replied. Then, with a shake of my head, I added, "I couldn't tell what it was, though."

"Yeah, I've noticed something blue and somewhat irritating following in our footsteps for some time now as well…" Marie replied as she stroked her chin.

"Very amusing," I deadpanned. "This is why Marcus wanted to keep us separate." I then motioned for them both to follow me as I went to investigate. "Come, this may be worth investigating."

I saw Marcus turn to Marie and shrug before following me. The Zorua-girl sighed before following suit.

I approached the rock carefully, ensuring that I wouldn't spook whatever was behind it. Whatever it was, I got the feeling it didn't want to be noticed, so seeing me come up to it was most likely going to startle it into attacking. Once I finally got to the rock and carefully peaked over, I saw… nothing. There was nothing behind the rock. Well, that was actually a lie. There was a tiny Joltik crawling along the rock. It looked up at me and squeaked something I couldn't hear before turning around and scuttling away from me.

"That's what you had us stop for?" Marie asked. I turned around to see both Marcus and Marie standing behind me. "You had us worried over a Joltik?"

"I swear, I saw something much larger than a Joltik!" I replied, feeling myself become a bit flustered. "I swear upon my royal honor!"

Marie eyed me with a raised eyebrow for a moment before she shook her head and turned around. "We'll be out of here any minute now," she said. "Let's not waste any more time."

I tried to call Marie back, but she had already walked off. I looked up at Marcus quizzically. I'd have asked him, "You believe me, right?" but Marie was already gone, so she wouldn't have translated for me.

"Maybe you're just still a bit jumpy after our little escapades in and around Eterna City," Marcus replied with a laugh. "Come on, Princess, I bet we're not gonna see any more Grass- or Bug-types for a while."

I was about to protest, but I decided against it. I sighed and walked away from the rock, Marcus following behind me. As I walked, I kicked a pebble that was in my path in Marie's general direction. It didn't hit her, but rather rolled off the edge… followed by several other pebbles, none of which I touched.

"Eh…?" I asked as I watched the pebbles fall. Suddenly, I could hear a rumbling noise beneath us. Marcus recognized it instantly.

"Marie, come back here!" he called, but it was too late. All of a sudden, the portion of path Marie was walking on began to crumble and fall towards the water below. It was a Rock Slide!

"MARCUS!" Marie cried as she was swept away by the crumbling ground beneath her. Her illusion failed as she tumbled as well. Marcus pulled out Marie's Pokeball and ran to try to return her, but by the time he ran to where Marie was originally, she was already halfway down the cliff face, outside of her Pokeball's range.

"Shit…!" Marcus said. "This is bad."

Meanwhile, I could only watch as Marie fell towards the water below. I couldn't help but think to myself that this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't stopped us for that stupid Joltik. Marie was in peril because of me. As much as I wanted to be happy that Zorua was about to be out of the picture, something in me suddenly made me realize that I couldn't let her fall. As much as I hated to admit it, she was my teammate, my friend… my family. I also realized that I was the only one who could save her. Marcus didn't have the agility, and Blitz was useless in both rocky and watery terrain.

I clenched my flipper and ran forward. "Hold on, Marie, I'm coming!" I shouted as I dived off the cliff after Marie. I heard Marcus shout something at me, but I didn't hear him. I was too focused on what I had to do next. I reared back and started attacking the rocky surface in front of me with Bubblebeam to the point where it was moist and somewhat smooth, then landed my belly on the surface I had hit and started sliding down the cliff. I kept this up to create a path towards Marie, my speed increasing as I slid. However, I couldn't make it in time before Marie fell into the water. I had only one choice. I leaped off from where I was sliding and dove in after her.

Underwater, I could see easily and breathe somewhat, but Marie was a different story, so I had to work fast if I wanted to save her. I looked around, and saw the Zorua stuck at the bottom of the roughly four-meter-deep pool, a rock trapping her tail. I quickly swam over to her, and noticed that she was desperately struggling while holding her breath. Without hesitation, I fired another Bubblebeam to shatter the rock she was trapped under. She smiled and started to swim up, but then, all of a sudden, she stopped, and started struggling to swim. She was out of breath! I swam under her and started pushing her up towards the surface. I managed to get her up for just a moment, but then, all of a sudden, a Pokemon used Tackle on me, knocking me backwards and causing me to drop Marie before she could get a full breath. I turned and saw two things. One, Marie had swallowed some water when she was inhaling, and now she was struggling to swim again. The other, the Pokemon that had Tackled me was a Buizel, and it looked angry. It probably thought we were the ones who triggered that Rock Slide and messed up its home. I tried to explain the situation as best I could, but before I could even start, a second Buizel attacked me from behind, this time with Aqua Jet. I spun forward, but I was able to quickly right myself, in perfect position to see Marie slowly drowning.

"I don't have time for this!" I said out loud before rearing back and attacking Marie with Bubblebeam, hoping the force of the attack would be enough to launch her out of the water. Fortunately, my gamble paid off, and she flew out of the water. Hopefully she'd get enough airtime to manage a proper breath before she fell back into the water. Meanwhile, one of the Buizel had turned around and chased after Marie, while the other one swam towards me and tried to deal another attack. This time, it used Swift. I braced myself against the attack, knowing I wouldn't be able to dodge it. As I suffered each star-shaped blow, I silently wished Marcus were there with me. That is to say… I could fight just fine without him telling me what to do, but I wanted him there to witness my glory.

"You're going down, Princess!" the Buizel shouted at me as it moved in for another attack while I was still being hit with the Swift. Wait, did that Buizel actually know my name? I didn't have much time to ponder this as I saw it come up to me and get ready to attack with Double Hit.

I wasn't about to let that happen, though. "No one said you could touch!" I shouted as I reared my flipper back and got ready to counter with Pound. However, I'd forgotten that I forgot Pound in favor of a different move earlier in the cave. I mentally cursed myself as the Buizel got ready to hit me, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that I had managed to block his attack anyway by thrusting a still-glowing flipper forward. He tried to hit me with the second hit of Double Hit, but I managed to block this with my other flipper, which was also glowing. Of course! The move I'd learned in favor of Pound was Fury Attack. How could I have forgotten? I saw my opportunity. "I'll smash you to pieces!" I shouted as I reared my flippers back. Then, with a mighty cry I was mimicking from a comic book I'd read once, I unleashed a powerful volley of strikes with Fury Attack with a speed I'd never imagined I could manage before. Once I was satisfied with how much damage I'd dealt, I swam down a little, and finished the Buizel with an uppercut that knocked him clear out of the water. I shook my flipper off a little and muttered, "Good grief…" before turning around to find that Marie had already fallen in the water and was being harassed by the other Buizel. I swam after the two, and attacked the Buizel with another Bubblebeam, not aiming to injure it, but distract it long enough for Marie to get away. This seemed to work better than I'd hoped, however, as the Buizel swam away after it recovered from my hit, followed closely by the other Buizel that I'd knocked out of the water earlier.

I took a moment to sigh with relief before swimming over to Marie and helping her up and out of the water. I held her above water for a moment so she could get a few breaths before I swam up and poked my head out of the water to get some fresh air as well, letting Marie tread water from there.

"Are you alright, Marie?" I asked after we'd both had a chance to breathe.

Marie nodded and coughed a little before turning to me. Her fur was droopy with how wet she had become, and it honestly looked rather silly. "I'm fine…" she said while panting. "Thank you… Princess."

I smiled before puffing out my chest and turning my beak up proudly. "You can grovel at my greatness after we get back to Marcus," I replied. I then motioned for her to follow me as I began swimming back towards the cliff we had just fallen from. There was a small bit of shoreline where we'd be able to recover before figuring out how to get back up to where Marcus was.

At least, I tried to swim there before I felt something wrap around the lower half of my body and suddenly pull me back under the water. I didn't get a good look at my new assailant, but whatever it was, it had thrown me all the way to the bottom before moving back up and doing the same to Marie. When I finally recovered, I saw that it was a Dragonair that had attacked us. (Could it have been what I saw following us earlier?) Not only that, but it hadn't thrown Marie, but rather coiled around her, attempting to strangle her!

"I don't know why everyone suddenly has it out for that Zorua…" I said to the Dragonair as I clenched my flippers, "but annoying as she is, I'm not letting anyone hurt her!" I then swam at the Dragonair at full speed and attacked it with Peck. My beak impacted on the back of the Dragonair's head, causing it to flinch, but it didn't release Marie. It turned back around towards me and attacked me with Dragon Rage, which blew me backwards a few meters. I looked back up, and caught a good look at Marie. The Dragonair had managed to strangle all the breath out of her, and she looked like she was about to lose consciousness. The Zorua took one last look at me, a desperate plea in her eyes, before she finally lost it, her eyes rolling into the back of her head and her struggling against the Dragonair ceasing.

In that moment, I think I snapped. This Dragonair had come out of nowhere, and tried to kill Marie, who, like it or not, was the closest thing to my best friend at the time… and it succeeded. I felt myself filled with a rage unlike any I'd ever felt before. How could I have let this happen? What would I say to Marcus?

What would Marie say to me if she had one last opportunity?

I clenched my flipper and swam forward at incredible speed towards the Dragonair. "I'LL KILL YOOOOOU!" I shouted as I dove into it with a powerful Peck, this time hitting with enough force to cause it to lose its grip on Marie, who started limply floating to the surface. I then reared back before hitting the Dragonair with a full-force Fury Attack. I hit it once, and then again, and again, and again, all in rapid succession. The speed of my punches kept increasing and increasing, and I could feel the rage I was putting into my attacks fill my entire body. I'm not sure how long I attacked it for, but I know I finished it with one final punch that sent it flying away and into a far rock wall, shattering the rock it impacted on and kicking up a massive cloud of dust. I then saw more rocks fall onto it. I could reasonably doubt the Dragonair survived what I'd just done to it.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but I didn't dare rest for long before I looked up and saw that Marie was still floating. I quickly swam up, grabbed Marie, and leaped out of the water onto the rocky shore in one fluid motion. I hadn't even realized I could do such a thing, but that hardly concerned me. I laid Marie down on her back and knelt over her. Her eyes were closed and her mouth hung open.

"No…!" I shouted as I placed my flippers on her chest and started compressions. All the Starters were taught human first-aid back at the lab on the off chance that we'd have to perform it for our trainers in the future, since we'd be their only hope for at least a little while on our journey, and that included the "CPR" that I was trying to do at that moment, but the truth was that I barely paid any attention in that class, nor did I know if it would even work on another Pokemon.

Still, I had to try.

"Wake up, Marie!" I shouted as I pounded on her chest harder. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I continued to get no response from the Zorua. I suddenly remembered something else from the first-aid class. I took a deep breath and leaned in, placing my beak over Marie's lips and exhaling into her mouth. I found it incredibly gross – especially considering that this made my first kiss with another female – but I didn't care. I just wanted my friend back…

As I pulled away and was about to give up, Marie suddenly coughed and sputtered, water coming out of her mouth. She rolled over and spat more water out before taking a deep breath and started panting. I'd done it! She was alive!

"Marie, you're okay!" I shouted with joy, not caring about maintaining my royal demeanor at the time. I leaned down and hugged Marie, beginning to cry a little.

"M… Marcus…?" Marie asked as she slowly returned to consciousness. I honestly felt insulted at that moment, but I didn't voice it. I pulled back and looked down at Marie.

"No, someone a little more royal," I replied with a half smirk.

Marie opened her eyes wide and blinked once. "P-Princess…?" she asked. "Is that you?"

I leaned back and put my hands on my hips. "You weren't hoping it was Marcus because I kissed you, were you?" I asked jokingly.

Marie shook her head and looked up at me again, her eyes still wide. "Princess… I think you should-" she started.

"Marie! Princess!" I heard Marcus shout. I turned around to see Marcus sliding down the collapsed rock wall, secured to the top by an Escape Rope around his waist. He looked over at us, and then started staring at me with an expression similar to what Marie had just now. "Princess… is that you?"

"Why is everyone asking me that?" I asked as I stood up. "And is no one going to acknowledge that I just saved Marie's li-" I stopped suddenly when I looked back down to indicate Marie. I think it was at this moment that I realized what everyone was so surprised about. For one, I was a lot further from the ground than I normally was when I stood up. For another, when I looked a little further down, more towards myself, there were two sets of dots on my belly instead of the one pair. I looked at my flippers to find that they were no longer entirely cyan, just the tips were. The rest of my flippers were a darker shade of blue. I reached up to touch my head, and felt two horn-like things protruding from my beak and over my head.

I… had evolved!

"Princess, you've evolved into a Prinplup!" Marcus cried as he undid his Escape Rope and ran over to us. He knelt down to help Marie to her paws before they both turned back to me. "It must've happened while you were fighting down there!"

I tried to recall everything that had just happened, trying to pinpoint when it was that I actually evolved. "I was still a Piplup when I dove into the water…" I thought out loud, bringing a flipper to my chin as I thought. "I was definitely still a Piplup when I was fighting the Buizel. When I had attacked the Dragonair, though… after I saw Marie almost die, and felt that incredible rage…"

"That must've been it!" Marie concluded. She looked back up to Marcus before stepping back, transforming, and continuing. "I bet the reason you evolved was because you realized that you actually do have a heart and care about me."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Once again, very amusing," I replied dryly.

Not that Marcus or Marie noticed, but I didn't add anything onto that for once.

"I guess you really have grown a little, Princess," Marcus said with a chuckle. "You definitely wouldn't have stuck your neck out for Marie like you did when our journey first started."

"Well…" I started, rubbing the back of my head with my flipper. Suddenly, I realized that I needed to regain my composure, and did just that, placing my flippers on my hips and puffing out my chest once more. "Of course, even if I am royalty, I can't let anything happen to my escorts, now can I? Even if that means getting my own flippers dirty once every decade or so." With a smile, I looked up at Marcus and added, "That said, don't you think my new form warrants me a new title? I'm thinking, 'Empress' has a nice ring to it. What do you say?"

Marie was laughing to herself as she translated what I said, and Marcus laughed out loud as soon as he heard my words. "We're gonna keep calling you Princess, Princess," he said. "No offense, but 'Empress' can't be said with as much sarcasm as 'Princess' can."

"Wait… MY NAME IS SARCASTIC!?" I shouted, only just then realizing what Marcus was saying, earning more laughter from both Marcus and Marie. "But… but I'm royalty…!"

"Well, excuuuuse me, Princess," Marie added with a chuckle. "Maybe you'll get your new title when you evolve again." With a joking tone but uncomfortable wink, she added, "I might need more than a kiss next time, though."

"Wait, what?" Marcus asked as he eyed Marie suspiciously. "Did I miss something?"

"Nothing, really," Marie said with a shake of her head. "Come on, I'd rather dry myself off in the sun so my fur will poof less once I'm done."

Marcus looked between the two of us quizzically for a moment before finally shrugging and walking back up to where he had left the rope. He tugged on it once, and Blitz poked her head over the top near where the rope was secured, looking down at him. "Blitz, I'm tossing another rope up to you!" Marcus called. "You're gonna need to hold this one yourself, though!"

As Marcus tossed the rope that was likely intended to haul Marie and I up, I started to walk towards Marcus. However, Marie stopped me.

"Princess, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked. I turned around, and she had gone back to her normal Zorua form.

"If this is about the kiss, you should know that I'm only interested in males," I replied. "I don't know about you, but I was joking." Feeling a couple drops of sweat form on my forehead, I added, "Please tell me you were too…"

"Yes, I was," Marie replied with a quick nod. "Arceus, you need to get your mind out of the gutter." Then, with a shake of her head, she continued. "That's not what I wanted to talk to you about, though. First of all, thank you for saving me from those Buizel and that Dragonair."

I huffed proudly. "Yes, I authorize you to start groveling now," I said.

Marie rolled her eyes at me before continuing. "Second, I wanted to ask you something. Did you notice anything… strange about that Dragonair?"

I wasn't expecting that kind of question. I tapped my flipper to my beak and hummed for a moment, trying to think back to the battle. "I… don't think so," I finally replied. "Why? Did you notice something?"

Marie shook her head. "Actually, it was something that I _didn't_ notice that's bugging me," she continued. "Its face. I could imagine it would be expressionless if it really was some kind of psychotic killer, but… I don't think I noticed anything about its face at all."

"Oh…?" I asked. I started to think about what I saw about the Dragonair. Sure enough, I couldn't recall any of its facial features either. "That is strange… what about the Buizel? Did you notice the same thing with them?"

"No, I remember their faces clearly," Marie replied. "Princess… I don't think that Dragonair even had a face."

I scoffed. "Now that's just crazy talk," I said while waving my flipper. "True, there are some Pokemon who don't have much to call a face, and fewer still who really do have none at all, but I happen to know that Dragonair isn't among that number."

Marie sighed and shook her head. "Maybe I was just hallucinating from lack of oxygen…" she surrendered.

"Besides," I continued, "that's well in the past now. I doubt we'll ever have to worry about that Dragonair again. If it's still alive, it's buried under a bunch of boulders right now. Not much point in trying to solve this mystery, the way I see it."

"Hey, you two coming?" Marcus called to us. Marie and I both looked over to see Marcus had re-tied his rope to himself, and was holding the other rope out to us. The other end of that rope was held securely in Blitz's mouth at the top of the cliff.

Marie looked back at me and looked like she was about to say something, but shook her head and started trotting over to Marcus. I followed suit, and we both held still in front of him as he tied us together with that rope. All the while, I couldn't help but look over at the spot in the water where I had launched the Dragonair. The rock wall above it had collapsed some, and there were some Zubat and Geodude, among other Pokemon, gathered around where the incident had occurred. I knew that I didn't have to worry about it, but… I just had this terrible feeling in my gut as I looked on…

I couldn't entertain that feeling for long, though. It was a momentous occasion for me. Not only did I save the life of one of my escorts – lest I accidentally call Marie a "friend" outside of my own private thoughts and feelings again – but I was also one step closer to claiming my throne as an Empoleon, and, with a little luck, thusly being treated by Marcus and the others like the royalty I truly was.

It was gonna be a long, strange, roundabout journey to that point, but I was going to get there. I knew it in my heart.


	11. Entry 11: Foreseen Consequences

After that incident in Mt. Coronet, with Marie almost dying and Princess evolving after saving Marie's life, we didn't have much further to go before we hit Hearthome City, site of our third Gym battle. I had read up on this Gym beforehand, as I'd done with the last two. The Gym Leader, Fantina, specialized in Ghost-types. Not something I was familiar with, but I knew my team could handle it. Marie was a Dark-type, so she'd be the one with the type advantage. Princess had just evolved, so she was probably the strongest member of my team. Blitz… actually, there was something about her that I couldn't quite put my finger on. It was like she had some kind of metaphorical fire burning inside her literally burning body that I could feel when she battled. Something different from what I felt from Marie and Princess. It was weird, but if that alone put her on-par with Princess in terms of raw power, I wasn't gonna complain.

That said, no one had any particular disadvantage in the coming Gym battle, so I was feeling pretty confident.

However, after a day as exciting as that, it was safe to say that we all needed a good night's rest before our next Gym battle. After resting at the Pokemon Center for the night, the four of us were up bright and early the next morning, standing in front of the Gym and mentally preparing ourselves for the coming battle.

"Everyone ready to roll?" I asked as I looked down to my three Pokemon. They all looked up at me and nodded, giving short cries in the affirmative. I could see the passion in each of their eyes. Each one burned in a different way, but they all had two things in common: trust in me, and loyalty towards each other and myself. Not to toot my own horn, that is. I was honestly surprised to see that they trusted me that much at this point. On the other hand, we'd all been through some pretty exciting stuff thus far. If battling two gyms, burning down an underground Pokemon sex slavery ring, and whatever Princess and Marie went through (I never actually asked or found anything out beyond Marie almost dying and Princess evolving) didn't truly make us family by this point, nothing was gonna get us that close anymore.

With a smile, I nodded back, returning their enthusiasm. "Then let's go get that third gym badge. All four of us."

I turned, opened the door to the Gym, and the four of us walked inside. Once we cleared the doorway, we realized that the battlefield was very poorly lit. It was almost pitch-black inside the Gym, and there was no skylight to be spoken of. Dim purple flames burned at the corners of the battlefield, just barely giving me visual of it.

In the next instant, the doors behind us suddenly swung shut, cutting off the daylight from outside and shrouding us in darkness, sans what Blitz was generating with her flames. We all turned around, thinking we'd be able to see the culprit, but to no avail.

"Calm down, girls," I said to my Pokemon with a calming exhale. "We're in a Ghost-type Gym, remember? Little tricks like that are gonna happen."

"Oh boo, you're not gonna be very much fun, are you?" a strange feminine voice called from within the darkness. We all turned around just in time to see two bright purple flames ignite at the far end of the battlefield, revealing the form of who I deduced to be Gym Leader Fantina, in her flashy purple dress that sparkled like the night sky, and hair done up into two gigantic burns. "My philosophy is that for a trainer to truly understand the terrifying nature of Ghost-types, they need to walk in here with a good scare already put into them."

"And your whole plan for doing that is the old, 'door suddenly and inexplicably closing' trick?" I asked while scratching my head.

Fantina chortled. "I had more than that in my repertoire," she replied. "But if you're going to come in here already on the lookout for those kinds of tricks, it kind of ruins the magic, don't you think?"

I smiled and shook my head. "I've never really believed in magic, honestly," I replied. "Fairy-types and their strangeness, I doubt it really counts. Psychic- and Ghost-types with their neat little parlor tricks, I might've only found out about those recently, but that's hardly magic either."

As I talked, I walked forward to take my spot in my square of the arena. As I got closer, I could see Fantina wave off what I was saying. "Silly boy," she said with a shake of her head. "You claim to not believe in magic, and yet you have a Zorua standing right beside you."

"Huh?" I asked as I looked down at Marie. She looked back up at me, her expression making it seem like she was just as confused as I was. I turned back to Fantina. "What are you talking about?"

"Real magic lies in the wild and wonderful," Fantina explained as she pulled out a Pokeball. "In the bizarre and the amazing. What lies beyond the norm, what can shock and awe any who bear witness… that's real magic." She then shot me a devious smirk. "If you don't believe in magic… then you don't believe in the bond between Trainer and Pokemon, and thus you'll never be able to defeat us!" As she said this last word, she threw her hands into the air, and all of a sudden, a multitude of torches alighted all over the gym, casting a bright, albeit eerie, purple glow around the entire place. At least now I could see. It looked somewhat like a ballroom constructed entirely out of marble, evidenced by how some of the flames reflected off the surfaces of the walls, floors, and columns. "Now that you know the definition of magic, perhaps you could show me how much of a magician you actually are! Go, Duskull!" She threw her Pokeball forward, and it exploded in a flash of light that greatly contradicted the purple glow of the flames that lit the room.

"Skull…" the Duskull cried as it emerged, an eerie aura emanating off of it.

I smirked. "You might call it magic," I started, "but I have a different name for it. A good old-fashioned bond between Trainer and Pokemon, tempered by an exciting journey that's far from over." I looked down and nodded at Marie. "She called you magic first, Marie. Why don't you dazzle her a little?"

"Zor!" Marie barked as she leaped forward into the battlefield, ready for action.

All of a sudden, at the side of the arena, a huge spout of purple flame erupted for just a moment before dissipating, revealing the Gym's referee. Alright, I could admit that was a nice trick, but I still wasn't buying that it was magic.

"The battle between the Hearthome City Gym Leader, Fantina, and the challenger, Marcus Lyre of Jubilife City, shall soon commence," he said in a strangely ominous tone. The tone of his words honestly gave me a little chill. "Each trainer will use three Pokemon, and the battle will end when all three of a Trainer's Pokemon are unable to battle. Additionally, only the challenger may make substitutions mid-battle. Are both Trainers and Pokemon ready?"

"Ready and waiting," Fantina said with a smirk.

"Skull," Duskull growled.

"Zor Zorua?" Marie barked as she turned around towards me.

I adjusted my hat confidently and pointed dramatically. As was going to be my tradition from this point forward, I shouted, with a somewhat unintentional voice crack, "BRING IT ON!"

"Then let the battle… BEGIN!" the referee shouted as all the flames in the room flared, causing a brilliant glow about the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flame erupt and engulf the referee for just a second before it died down, revealing that the ref had vanished.

I shuddered at the sight, but I didn't let that deter me. It was fight time!

I have to level with whoever reads this. The fight was really boring, especially compared to the battle in the Eterna Gym. Marie made short work of the Duskull, only needing two Faint Attacks before her foe went down. I sent Blitz out against a Haunter just so she'd have a chance to fight, and the two were about evenly matched. Blitz came out the winner, still seeming like she could fight if I needed her to. Then, Fantina sent out a Mismagius, against whom I used Princess. True, there were a lot of explosions in that battle, and once again, mine and Fantina's Pokemon were about evenly matched, but Princess took the win.

Hardly exciting, but I honestly took pride in how easy our victory was. It just meant we had grown that much stronger.

Once the battle was over, Fantina and I met in the middle of the battlefield so she could present to us our next Gym Badge. "That was performance was truly magical," she said to us. "I felt the bond you had with your Pokemon. I could tell you've improved greatly from a performance I never bore witness to. Your journey is far from over, but you are making leaps and bounds towards your eventual goal."

I actually couldn't help but smile a little at that. "Hey, that actually touches me a bit," I replied. "Thanks for that."

Fantina was about to give me the badge when, all of a sudden, one of the Pokeballs on her belt exploded, and out of it emerged her Mismagius, who was still very weak from her defeat at Princess' flippers, but seemed dead set on doing something.

She pointed one of her ribbon-esque appendages at me as she panted, staring at me intently. "Mag…" she huffed.

"Mismagius, what are you doing?" Fantina asked. "You should be resting!"

Mismagius turned to Fantina slowly. She stared at her trainer for a second before suddenly rushing forward and flying into Fantina. The Gym Leader recoiled backwards and bent over, a strange purple fog suddenly emitting from her feet.

"Holy crap!" I found myself shouting. "Is this part of the whole, 'scaring your challenger' thing!?"

Fantina remained in her bent over position for a moment before she slowly rose, the purple fog beginning to swirl around her. She turned to look at me, but her eyes had now taken on a red color.

"You…" Fantina said to me, holding her arm out and pointing to me, similar to what Mismagius had just done. "You… Marcus Isaiah Perseus Lyre… I am too weak to claim my trainer as a vessel through which to speak to you for very long… so be silent as you listen to my words…"

She had several pauses in her sentence in which she panted heavily. It was at this point that I realized what had happened. Mismagius had possessed Fantina, and apparently, it was so that she could talk to me. I wanted to tell her that she could have skipped the showboating and let Marie translate for her instead, but she seemed rather serious about what she wanted to say, as well as the fact that she wouldn't have the strength to speak for very long. Instead, I just nodded silently, and motioned for Marie, Princess, and Blitz to do the same.

"I have… seen your future…" Mismagius said to me. "Though your battle… I divined your fate… and you have a dark road ahead of you…" She suddenly had a violent coughing fit, and the purple fog that was surrounding her seemed to fade a little before she finally recovered and continued pointing to me. "Your path is obscured… by a veil of darkness… as well as a purple haze… but I will warn you of what I know now…. In the forest… lies a child… one who must be protected at all costs…lest his potential is never known… and the world crumbles without him to bear the weight…."

"A child…?" I thought out loud. "In the forest…"

"CONSIDER MY WORDS AFTER I HAVE SPOKEN THEM!" Mismagius suddenly shouted, her voice echoing throughout the Gym and all the flames that lit the area flickering as a result. I stepped backwards a bit, but kept my cool for the most part. "If I may continue…. One you love… must confront a deadly truth…. If she refuses to utter her words… your life will end… but if she speaks her truth… though you will live… the lives of you… and those you hold dear… will be put in greater jeopardy… for the remainder of your days…."

Mismagius specified that it was a female who was going to confront this "deadly truth." Instinctively, I looked down at my Pokemon, all of whom were girls. Was it going to be one of them? Or someone I'd encounter later on down the line? Someone one of these three would encounter…?

"Beware the temptations… of the one who commands the world…." Mismagius continued. "She will be the key… to Pandora's Box…. A great evil… will be unleashed by her hand… but if this evil… can be survived… hope will emerge as well…. Hold fast to your friends… but beware the shadows that bind…. Do not speak the name… of the one who walks upon death… or she will shatter your life forever…."

Suddenly, Mismagius screamed, and Fantina bent over backwards, the fog around her swirling violently and glowing brightly. I shielded my eyes and tried to brace myself against the wind that was being generated. From what little I could see, Fantina was rising into the air. I wanted to try to help her, but the wind was too strong. I looked to my Pokemon, and they looked like they were struggling against the wind as well.

Then, as suddenly as it started, the wind, glowing, and screaming stopped, and all the flames in the Gym went out, creating pure pitch-darkness.

Fortunately, I had my own light source.

"Blitz," I whispered to the seemingly-glowing Ponyta, "walk over to Fantina and see if she's okay. But be careful." I paused for a moment and shuddered. "I don't want to freak Mismagius out any more than she seems to be already."

"Pon," Blitz replied quietly with a nod. She cautiously trotted over to where Fantina had apparently fallen, Marie, Princess, and I following close behind. When Fantina was within range of Blitz's light, we saw that she was lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious, and Mismagius was laying next to her in a similar state.

"Shit…" I muttered as I rubbed the back of my head. "That was pretty wild. We should probably get these two some kind of medical attention or something…?" I looked down and noticed something glowing in the light of Blitz's flames. It was the Relic Badge Fantina was about to give me. I reached down carefully and picked it up, eyeing it for a moment. "Not that I'm scared… but I think we should just take this badge and run. We did kinda earn it, after all…" I looked down towards Fantina, who was still out cold. "I mean… she was about to give it to us, wasn't she?"

Needless to say, we hightailed it out of that Gym soon after that. After taking a moment to shake and catch our breaths collectively, we got to the Pokemon Center, where I explained what had happened as best I could. (However, I left out what all Mismagius had told me. I figured that was our business.) The Nurse Joy I told all this to just looked at me funny for a moment, then started chuckling to herself. She then explained that Fantina and Mismagius did this sort of thing with every trainer who challenged the Gym. I was honestly steamed before I mentioned the prophecy Mismagius had given, and shared a couple broad details. According to Nurse Joy, that wasn't much out of the ordinary either. Now I was just plain embarrassed.

Of course, I wasn't so mad that I forgot to get Marie, Princess, and Blitz rested up.

I really didn't want to stay in town after all that had happened – partially because I was afraid of facing Fantina and seeing her smirk, but also partially because… actually, just the first reason – but it was more than a day's journey before we'd be able to get to the next town, and I didn't feel like spending a night in the woods after what we'd just been through. (It wasn't because I was scared, I swear!) Besides, there was Amity Square to the north of town that the four of us could check out to get our minds off of what went on that morning.

Despite all the pretty flowers, exciting Pokemon, and quality time we all spent together, though, that encounter with Mismagius still had all of us spooked… I mean, had my Pokemon spooked! And I was worried for them! I wasn't spooked…

That night, we had stayed in the Pokemon Center like we usually did. Marie, Princess, and Blitz were all in their Pokeballs, and I was in the bed I had rented, but I couldn't fall asleep. I laid in the bed, staring up at the ceiling, mulling over everything Mismagius had said. It was a lot to process, and a lot of it was way too cryptic for my liking. Granted, I reasonably assumed "veil of darkness" meant that Vale character Nemas had mentioned a couple days ago before he died, though I was a little concerned that he was apparently important enough for Mismagius to include it in her prophecy. "In the forest lies a child…" I found myself saying to myself out loud. "Come to think of it… a forest is made up of trees, and I know that the word 'Ki' is the word for 'tree' in some other language. She did have an egg, so maybe… that poor Leafeon…" I hummed to myself as I continued to think about everything else. Honestly… I couldn't made heads or tails of any of it. I decided it wasn't worth my time to lose sleep over it, so I rolled over and tried to get some shuteye… but for some reason, sleep didn't come. I tossed and turned, imagery from the Gym still vivid in my mind. Er, that is to say, the potential meanings of Mismagius' prophecy vivid in my mind. Again, I wasn't scared of anything that happened!

I had tossed and turned for probably 15 minutes before one of my Pokeballs, the belt for which I had left on the night stand next to my bed, suddenly exploded, and Blitz emerged, rubbing one of her eyes with her hoof. "Hey Blitz…" I said as she trotted over to where I was. I sat up and reached down to stroke the side of her face. "You having trouble sleeping too?"

"Ponyta…" she replied with a nod, followed by a yawn. She then nuzzled herself under my arm, trying to climb into the bed with me.

"What's the matter?" I asked. "Too scared to sleep alone?" Blitz looked me in the eyes and nodded. I chuckled, and scooted over so that she could crawl up next to me. I was very thankful at this moment that her flames still couldn't burn things normally. "Heh… maybe it's a good idea… to not sleep alone after what happened…"

Blitz had just finished snuggling up next to me when my other two Pokeballs exploded, Marie and Princess releasing themselves and looking up at me. "Don't even bother translating, Marie," I said with a chuckle. "Neither of you two wanna sleep alone tonight?"

"Prin-plup," Princess replied while shaking her head. It wasn't like her to fess up to something like that so easily. Either evolving helped her grow up more than we'd realized, or she was _really_ scared that night.

"Zorua…!" Marie cried as she leaped up onto the bed next to me, opposite where Blitz was laying, quickly hiding her face in between my arm and the bed. (I'd find out later that the cry she gave meant, "Brother…!") Princess followed suit, though she climbed in a little more gracefully and settled herself in next to Marie.

I sighed and chuckled. "Everybody comfortable?" I asked. All three of my Pokemon, now snuggled up against me like a litter of Lillipup hatchlings nestled into a mama Stoutland's fur, nodded in agreement. "Alright then… try to get some sleep, everyone." I closed my eyes, and found sleep coming to me a little easier now that everyone was here with me. I think they were all comforted by each others' presences as well.

Once all was said and done, sleep came somewhat easily that night. The next morning, however, we knew. We knew we were going to have to face the reality of what had happened once again. I know I said I don't believe in magic, but divination, especially the kind that Mismagius had given me, was a different story in my book.

I was a firm believer in destiny, after all…


	12. Entry 12: A Zorua's Tears

The Lost Tower. Where Pokemon are laid to rest in the Sinnoh region. From what I'd been told, it was always filled with grieving trainers and wild Ghost-type Pokemon. I wouldn't know, because I'd never been here before. It was so far away from Jubilife City, the only way I'd ever have been able to go would be if I were on a journey.

Today, though, I was finally on that journey, and my sin of never visiting this place was finally about to be rectified.

I stared up at the building before us, towering well over even Marcus' height, so it made me feel like a little Joltik. The afternoon sun shone over the top like a shining crown, which only fueled my intimidation. I looked over at Blitz, on Marcus' right, and from the look on her face, she seemed rather taken aback by the tower's size as well. I looked up at my brother, and though he seemed impressed, I could tell he was unfazed. Marcus looked down at me, and noticed I was looking at him.

"You're sure you want to do this, Marie?" he asked me. I replied with a nod before throwing up my human illusion and speaking my piece.

"It's been three years, Marcus…" I said to him while looking him in the eye. "Three years ago, Shawn was buried here in a funeral I couldn't attend because I was stuck in the hospital, and in those three years, I couldn't come here because neither you nor I were old or strong enough to travel here." I clenched my paw, though Marcus saw my human form clench her fist. "It's been far too long. I have to make the climb and see him. _We_ have to make the climb. Together."

Marcus nodded in understanding. "I know, sister," he said to me in a quiet tone. "I just wanted to hear you say it so I could make sure you were ready." He smiled and patted my head. "You're not the pup I adopted back then anymore, and I'm not the little kid either. I can finally bring you here, and you can handle it."

I smiled and hugged him. "Thank you. Thank you so much…" I could feel a tear rolling down my cheek.

Marcus hugged me back. "He was my friend, and my own brother's Pokemon, don't forget. This opportunity means just as much to me as it does to you…"

We hugged for a moment before I finally looked over at Blitz, who seemed to be patiently, albeit a little nervously, waiting for us to finish. Internally, I was very grateful Marcus had let her out instead of Princess for this. True, Princess had matured a little, but I still didn't want to risk her mouthing off now of all times…

I pulled away and broke the hug, then nodded at Marcus with a determined expression before saying, "Let's go." I then dropped my illusion, and the three of us headed inside.

The interior of the Tower was poorly lit, with lighting rather similar to what we'd seen back at the Hearthome Gym. There was an eerie fog in the air, but I didn't want that to deter us. Besides, we could see at least a few feet in front of us, and Blitz's flames dispersed the fog around us a little, so we'd be able to navigate. We walked in a short way, looking at the graves around us. I didn't think any one of these would be Shawn's, but I was compelled to check…

Marcus found a human, an old woman, towards the center of the room and went up to her. "Excuse me," he said to her, "we're, er… looking for a particular grave. Can you help us?"

The woman looked up at Marcus. "I can just barely recognize your life force," she said to him. "You've had family pass through these halls, haven't you?"

Marcus gulped and nodded. I walked up beside him. "My Zorua and I both," he replied.

"I see…" the woman said with a nod. "I've been the Lost Tower's caretaker for… this old mind can't even remember how long anymore. I've started to learn how to read souls as the Pokemon who wander these halls do." She looked down at me. "Ah yes… this is the one whose direct relative is buried here. A piece of her spirit sleeps in this tower."

I nodded, trying to fight back tears. "My brother," I managed to choke out. "His name was Shawn, and he was a Mareep. Can you tell us where he's buried?"

The old woman nodded again. "He's just up those stairs, on the second floor," she replied, pointing behind her and indicating a staircase that was just barely visible through the fog. Were it under any other circumstances, I probably would have been shocked that she understood me even though I didn't have any sort of illusion up. But I didn't have time for that. "Poor thing. I remember when he was brought in. It was a pair of Ursaring who bore his casket. Other than that, not many people nor Pokemon showed up for his burial…"

"Thank you," Marcus said to the woman. He then looked down at Blitz and I, and we both nodded. With that, we made our way towards and up the stairs.

In our search for Shawn among all the graves, we found ourselves attacked by a few sneaky Ghost-type Pokemon. I made short work of them, fueled by a rage towards them brought about by how they interrupted and delayed what was supposed to be an important moment for me. Blitz never even got to fight.

We actually didn't search long before Blitz called for us, saying that she'd found what we were looking for. Both Marcus and I gathered around the grave she'd indicated, and sure enough… that was Shawn's name on the gravestone. The date he hatched, the date he died, his trainer… it was unmistakably him.

"We found him…" Marcus said to me. I couldn't reply. I was just staring at the gravestone, all sorts of emotions racing through my mind. I flashed back to the night he died. His bloodshot eyes… the wound in his head…

I yelped and flinched, turning away from the grave and clenching my eyes shut. I had to do this, but I didn't realize it would still have this much of an impact on me, three years later. Thinking of him hurt, but standing here, where he was buried… I almost couldn't bear it.

Marcus quickly rushed over and held me. In his embrace, I realized that I was shaking. "Shh… it's okay, Marie," he said to me in a soft voice. "I'm here for you."

I looked up at him. He was smiling for me, but I could tell he was feeling just as many emotions as I was, doing all he could to fight back tears as well. "B-Brother…" I choked out, but my mouth had become dry. I couldn't say anything else.

"G-guys…" I heard Blitz say. "I'm trying not to mess with your moment, I really am, but… you might wanna take a look at this…!"

I could hear sincere concern in her voice. I looked over at her, and she was indicating Shawn's grave. I looked, and my heart suddenly sank. All of a sudden, a Dusknoir had appeared and was hovering over the grave, staring at us.

"Oh what the hell?" I shouted, breaking off from Marcus' hug and walking up to the Dusknoir. "Buddy, you do _not_ want to be on my bad side right now, and you standing there over my brother's grave when I'm trying to have a moment with him I'm three years late for is how you get on my bad side!"

The Dusknoir was silent for a moment, continuing to stare at us, before it approached me. "Do you wish to speak with him?" he asked in a deep voice.

I took a step back, confused by the Dusknoir's words. "What do you mean?" I asked him. "If you start giving me riddles, I swear to Arceus…"

The Dusknoir held his hand up to me, his fingers splayed. "My name is Jibun, and I belong to the Lost Tower's caretaker, Katrina," he told me. "I ask again, do you wish to speak with the spirit who sleeps in this grave? I've found that speaking directly to the deceased soul is easier than speaking to a rock and some dirt."

I honestly had mixed feelings about this Dusknoir, as well as what he was telling me. He seemed deaf to what I was feeling, and that angered me, but at the same time, he sounded sincere in what he was offering. A chance to speak with Shawn directly? I could believe it was possible, honestly, and yet, the thought stunned me.

"Marie…" I heard Marcus say. I turned to face him. "Can you tell me what that Dusknoir wants?"

I looked up at him. I wasn't sure if it would've been proper to transform and tell him what Jibun was telling me. I turned back to Jibun. "Would my trainer be allowed to talk with him too?" I asked.

Jibun shook his head. "He does not share as close a bond with this soul as you do," he replied. "I'm afraid I couldn't allow him to speak too."

I looked back at Marcus and shook my head. "I'm sorry…" I said to him. Marcus was silent for a moment before he nodded, understanding what I meant. I then turned to Blitz, and she nodded as well, though the expression she wore was a little more worried. I turned back to Jibun, finally. "How can I talk with my brother?"

"Seeing as you are a Zorua, this will actually be easier than normal," Jibun told me. "In tandem with my ability to communicate with departed souls, I can use your power of illusion to grant you a more vivid image of your loved one."

I felt my lip start quivering, and I bit it in an effort to contain my emotion at the mere thought of this. "Y-you really mean that…?" I asked. I had no reason to doubt Jibun, really, but I somehow couldn't process what he was saying.

Jibun nodded. "Well?" he asked. "What is your decision?"

I looked back at Marcus and Blitz. Marcus seemed confused, and Blitz concerned. I gave them both a nod and a smile, though. I don't know why, but despite my shock at Jibun's words, I also felt confident in them.

Come to think of it… it could have been Shawn whispering to me that this was the way to go.

"I'll take you up on your offer," I said to Jibun firmly as I turned back towards him. "Please… let me talk too my brother."

Jibun nodded. "So it shall be…" he said. Suddenly, the fog in the room turned an eerie purple and began swirling around Jibun, similar to what happened back at the Hearthome Gym. The Dusknoir's eye started glowing, and his body began opening up. Then, in a voice that echoed throughout the tower, Jibun shouted, **"Our worlds, those of the living and those of the dead, shall intersect, with me as the bridge!"** He then charged at me, his body opening up wider. Before I had any chance to react, I could feel myself suddenly fall into his gaping maw.

Then, I saw only darkness…

As suddenly as I realized I had closed my eyes, I opened them again. I wasn't in the Lost Tower anymore. I looked around, and Marcus, Blitz, and Jibun were all gone. But that wasn't what shocked me. What shocked me was where I actually was.

The pizzeria where Bonnie used to work. That night, three years ago…

"Sister?" I heard a familiar voice ask. I turned around slowly, both excitement and dread welling up inside of me as I recognized the voice. Sure enough, when I turned around, I saw the familiar form of Shawn behind me. I turned all the way around to face him. I couldn't hold back my tears at this point.

"SHAWN!" I cried as I ran up and hugged him. He readied himself and hugged me back, and we stood there in each other's embrace for a moment before we finally broke our hug. It was then that I could finally get a good look at Shawn's face. I frowned as I recognized a glaring feature: a disturbing scar where he had been shot.

"Marie…" Shawn said to me, a half-smile on his face. "Are you here to… join me…?"

I shook my head, and I couldn't help but chuckle a little. I felt terrible doing so, yet it happened. "I'm sorry, Shawn," I said to him, "I'm just here for a visit. And… I'm also sorry it's taken me three years to come here. I wanted to come sooner, but…"

"It's okay, Marie," Shawn said to me with a slight smile. "I've watched over you for the past three years. I've kept you safe up until now, so we could share this moment."

"R-really?" I asked, shocked.

Shawn suddenly started chuckling. "No, I'm just yanking your chain," he said to me. "It's a joke the spirits in the Lost Tower like to pull."

"You…!" I started, furious. With a smile, I gave Shawn a playful pap on his face. I then joined him in laughter, my anger quickly fading. He really was still my brother, even after all this time. "It's good to see you again, Shawn." With a sigh, I added, "I miss you."

"I miss you too, sister," he said to me with a weak smile. "I wasn't entirely lying earlier, by the way. I've seen bits and pieces of what you've been through ever since I…" I looked up, indicating his forehead. I had to hold back a gag as I was reminded of that moment again. I guess I could understand a deceased spirit could become a little deaf to morbid topics after a while, but… it still disturbed me. "You're a fine Zorua, sis, and you're lucky to have Marcus as your trainer." He then looked down with a slight smile. "Don't tell Bonnie this if you happen to see him later on down the line in the same way you're seeing me, but I'm almost jealous of you."

I chuckled a little at this. "Heh, my lips are sealed," I replied. I looked around awkwardly. This wasn't exactly how I thought this visit to the Lost Tower was going to go, so I really didn't know what to say…

"I'm sorry," I suddenly blurted out, startling both Shawn and myself. He looked up at me curiously.

"Sorry?" he asked. "About what?"

I looked down, and I could feel tears forming. It was too late to take back what I'd just said, so all I could do was keep going. "I'm sorry for not saving you and Bonnie," I continued with a sniffle. "I probably could've picked up that you two were in danger earlier, and went to help you, but my focus narrowed on that Sandslash…"

I paused for a moment, and Shawn took that as an opportunity to walk up and dry my tears with his fleece. "It's okay, Marie," he said to me in a reassuring tone. "There wasn't anything you could've done for Bonnie nor I."

"But what if there was!?" I suddenly shouted, backing away. I could feel my emotions getting the best of me, but I was helpless to stop them. "What if I'd simply glanced over, saw that man drawing his gun, and ran off to stop him? What if I'd been able to use an illusion to trick him and get all three of us to safety instead of saving just myself?" I looked down. "What if I'd tried to stop Bonnie before we went to confront that man like I wanted to in the first place…?"

"Marie!" Shawn shouted sternly. I looked up, shocked by his tone. He was looking at me with a serious expression. "If I've learned anything in my time here with the other departed souls, it's that the words 'what if' are the most toxic and useless words in the language. If I hadn't stopped you just now, the next thing you were going to say would've been, 'What if I hadn't survived?' Wasn't it?"

I took a step back, suddenly jolted back to reality. Shawn was right. If I'd let my emotions tumble out of control any further, that probably would've been the next thing I said. "Sh-Shawn…" I started.

Shawn sighed and shook his head. "Look, sister, I know you hold a lot of regret in your heart over Bonnie and I," he said to me while taking a step forward, "but let me tell you first-hoof that regret will get you no where in life… or death, incidentally. It's a waste of time, and it will only eat at you for as long as you let it. However, regret does have a polar opposite, and that is the will to move forward, with the strength of those left behind in your heart." Shawn then walked up to me and placed his foreleg on the side of my face, smiling. "Carry a piece of me with you as you continue your journey with Marcus… and I promise, you'll make both Bonnie and I proud."

All of a sudden, Shawn started glowing yellow. At the same time, I could feel an inky-black glow around me. Small balls of light started rising up from the ground, and I could feel Shawn's strength welling up in my heart, like he'd just described. I reached up and took Shawn's foreleg into my paw. "I promise to come back after our journey's over, brother," I said to him with a smile.

"That'll have me waiting too long," Shawn replied. "Just come back when you grow a little stronger. I'll let you judge when that should be. Also, you should visit Bonnie's grave too. He's buried elsewhere in Sinnoh, but I'll impart unto you where that is. And sister… never forget one thing." Suddenly, the light emitting from the both of us grew even more intense. "Bonnie and I will always be with you. Every step of the way. You're on this journey for the both of us…"

I hadn't even realized I closed my eyes again, but I opened them with a start. I realized I was laying on a cold stone ground. I picked myself up and looked around. My vision was blurry from what had just happened, but I could tell I was back in the Lost Tower. Jibun was nowhere to be found, though. I looked around a little more, and thought I could make out several figures around me. They were whispering among themselves, something I couldn't make out. It was dark, so I couldn't tell who or what they were, but a single light on the ground some ways away from me caught my attention. I looked over, and realized it was a Litwick hiding behind a gravestone. It noticed I was looking at it and quickly brought its hand up to its lip, gesturing for me to be quiet.

 _"Y-your trainer…"_ it said to me through telepathy. Its voice was shaky, and upon closer inspection, I saw that it was shaking too. No… shivering? _"Your t-t-trainer… is marked f-f-for the c-cold embrace… of death."_ It pointed at the figures around me, which had suddenly turned in my direction. _"D-don't try to s-s-save him… you c-c-can't save him…"_

"What the hell are you talking about?" I called out loud, but upon me saying this, the Litwick ran away. I tried to stand up to give chase, but all of a sudden, one of the figures that was behind me hit me on the back of my head, and I fell back to the floor. It was there that I saw Marcus lying on the floor next to me, unconscious. I tried to reach out to him, but all of a sudden, I could feel the familiar sensation of being returned to my Pokeball.

I had no idea what was happening at the time, but I'd find out later just how much trouble had suddenly found us in that moment.


	13. Entry 14: Vale of Darkness

The first thing I noticed when I woke up that morning was that I had a pounding headache. I noticed the second thing when I went to massage the side of my head; I couldn't move my arms. After a little bit of sleep fell out of my eyes, I was able to look around. My arms were bound to a wall on either side of me. This situation felt strangely familiar, but at that moment, between the headache and the grogginess, I couldn't process what it could've been. I took some time to look around the room. It was small, the walls, floor, and ceiling were a pale yellow, there were no windows, there was a heavy-seeming door across the room from me, there was a small bed and a toilet on one side of the room, and on the other side… instruments of sexual torture? For an instant, I was confused. In the next instant, I realized why this situation felt familiar. I'd been here before. This room was exactly like the one I was held in back at the Daycare on Route 205.

"Son of a bitch…!" I said to myself as this realization struck me. There was no way this could've been the same place. Blitz burned that building to the ground. No… the headache was starting to subside, and I started being able to think a little more clearly. I was at the Lost Tower with Blitz and Marie. Marie got eaten by a Dusknoir… shit! I never got to make sure she was okay! Did that Dusknoir have something to do with this? No, that wasn't it. The Dusknoir was trying to calm Blitz and I down after I got ready to sic Blitz on him when the lights suddenly went out, and a number of what I assumed to be Pokemon suddenly rushed into the room and surrounded us. I could tell they weren't Ghost-types like what was native to the Lost Tower. I tried to fight them with Blitz, but there were too many. The Dusknoir tried to hold his ground. Was he trying to protect Marie while she was still inside of him, come to think of it? Regardless, the Pokemon made short work of Blitz, and then I guess they knocked me unconscious soon afterward.

And now I was here. I guess that only left the question of "Where exactly _was_ here?" I actually didn't get a chance to ponder this question much before the door across the room from me opened. On the other side of the door stood a Slowking, who seemed to grin as he saw me.

"King…" he muttered as he stepped forward.

"Hey, is this how you treat all your guests?" I asked. "Where's my continental breakfast? And who do I complain to about my bedding arrangements?"

The Slowking raised an eyebrow and stared at me for a moment, stopping a few feet from where I was. His eyes then started glowing blue, and I felt a familiar sensation in my mind. This was similar to Nemas did to me at the other Daycare, I realized. The blue in the Slowking's eyes faded, and he spoke to me.

"You are Marcus Lyre, correct?" he asked me. "It's good you're finally awake. I've been checking on you periodically all night, but you were out like a light. My sincere apologies for the way my Toxicroak compatriots handled you."

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you want with me?" I asked. "And for that matter, where am I?"

The Slowking chuckled. "Oh… _I_ don't want anything to do with you," he said to me in a sinister tone. "Ah, but forgive my lack of manners. My name is Atama, and you are currently in Solaceon Town. Not too far from where we retrieved you, actually."

"Solaceon Town…" I repeated under my breath. This town… was where the real Pokemon Daycare was supposed to be. The one that shows up on an ordinary Town Map. How could it be that this one fell to the same role as the last one…?

"As for why you're here…" Atama continued. He then used Psychic to undo the ropes binding my hands to the wall, and I fell to the ground. I got up and dusted myself off before facing Atama. "…come with me, and I'll be more than happy to show you," He then turned around and started walking out the door. I stood there for a moment, eyeing him. I reached down to grab Marie's Pokeball, just in case I needed her, but I was shocked to find that I grabbed nothing but air. I looked down, and everyone's Pokeballs were gone! Even the three empty Pokeballs I kept on the other side of my belt – the only other three I owned – that I used for decoration were missing!

Honestly, if I'd been kidnapped like I assumed I was at this point, that shouldn't have surprised me.

With no means of fighting back, I reluctantly followed Atama. As I walked out the door, I was greeted with the eerily familiar site of the same hall I had been escorted through at the first Daycare. It seemed they liked to keep things uniform between their different locations. There were heavy-looking doors lining the walls, leading to rooms similar to the one I was held in, and a much larger, more important-seeming, door at the end of the hallway, which we were walking towards. One thing that struck me as odd, though, was that I didn't hear the same cries of pain and suffering that I heard before. Could these walls have been soundproofed?

"Hey, Atama," I called as we walked. The Slowking turned slightly in my direction, but kept walking forward. "You still haven't answered my question. Why exactly am I here?"

Atama chuckled as we approached the door at the end of the hallway. He stopped in front of it and turned to me. "Why else would you be here?" he asked. "My master has taken quite an interest in you. After all… you did burn down his other Daycare." He said this last sentence with a grim intensity. That wasn't what worried me, though. What worried me was what he said in the sentence before that. His master… if everything was falling into place correctly, that could have only been…

My train of thought was derailed as Atama used Psychic to open the door, and indicated for me to go inside. With a glare aimed at the Slowking, I stepped into the room beyond. It looked like a very fancily-decorated office. There was nice carpeting on the floor, a case with a number of trophies leaning against the wall on one side, a rack filled with instruments of sexual torture on the other side, and against the back wall, a number of pictures hanging on the wall depicting scenes that evoked various levels and types of discomfort within me as I eyed them. In front of the back wall, where I was walking towards, there was a huge, tidy desk that had little more than a lamp in the shape of a Chinchou and a small wooden box on it. Behind the desk stood a large and comfy-seeming swivel chair that was turned away from me. In front, closest to me, were two more normal-seeming chairs, though they seemed somewhat comfortable as well.

"Take a seat… Marcus Lyre," a masculine voice from behind the swivel chair said. I was hesitant at first, but I decided that standing would've been rather uncomfortable anyway, so I sat in the chair on my right. As I sat down, I saw a puff of smoke be blown out from behind the chair. "May I interest you in a Cubone Cigar? I had them imported all the way from Kanto just for this meeting."

"Thanks, but… I don't smoke," I replied.

Vale was silent for a moment before I saw another puff of smoke come out from behind the chair. "In hindsight, I suppose I should have figured as much," he said. His tone was cold, so I couldn't tell exactly how my response made him feel. I kinda wished he'd turn around so I could read his face. Suddenly, I heard a clapping sound from behind the chair. "ATAMA! Dispose of the cigars, and do not return until I call for you again. I'd like to speak with Marcus Lyre in private."

"As you command, Lord Vale," the Slowking said. He then walked over to the table and used Psychic to lift the box of cigars off the table and towards him. He then turned and started walking away, seeming to have forgotten of my existence. I turned back to the chair Vale was sitting in, hearing the door open and slam shut behind me. Vale was silent for a moment. I expected to see a third puff of smoke from behind the chair, but none came. Instead, I heard a sigh.

"It's only Atama who does that…" Vale said. "My other lieutenants usually say 'Yes sir,' or at worst, 'Yes Master,' but Atama takes it a step too far for my liking." Another puff of smoke came out from behind the chair before Vale continued, his tone suddenly changing. "But! I digress! We're not here to talk about Atama, are we? No, Marcus Lyre, we're here to talk about… you." Before he said that last word, he turned his chair around, revealing his identity to me. I'm not sure what I expected, but a Sylveon reclining back in the chair, a partially-smoked cigar wrapped in one of his ribbons, staring back at me with his paws held together in front of him, about level with his chin, wasn't one of the things I expected.

"You're a… Pokemon?" I asked, confused.

"Oh? Does that surprise you?" Vale asked, his lips curling into a smile as he chuckled. He then leaned forward a little, sitting up on his haunches and straightening his back somewhat. "A Pokemon being the mastermind behind a Pokemon sex slavery ring? Really, that's what surprises you?" He turned to the side and took another puff of his cigar. "No, that shouldn't be the first surprise I bring you, Marcus Lyre. The first surprise… should come with the knowledge that Atama left the room quite some time ago."

"…I'm sorry?" I found myself asking. I turned around, and there was the door, shut. Atama nowhere to be found. I turned back to Vale. "Not sure what you're trying to say."

"Oh, I think you're very sure of what I'm saying." he replied with a snicker. "In fact, if you'll just pay attention to what I'm saying, the answer should be clear."

As soon as Vale finished that sentence, the answer hit me. Back at the other Daycare, after Nemas had left me in that room and Ki came to rescue me, I couldn't understand her any longer. Nemas' translator didn't work if he wasn't in the same room as me. The same rule should have applied to the translator Atama gave me. Unless… "You're speaking perfect English!" I shouted out loud.

"There you go!" Vale replied, reclining back in his chair again and jokingly clapping with his paws. "I knew you weren't that much of an idiot. Yes, a Pokemon can achieve real status among other Pokemon if he can talk like a human. Though as you'll learn… I don't win the respect I have solely with a trick as cheap as that." He paused for a moment to take yet another puff of his cigar. I was starting to get the feeling he might've been addicted to that thing. "Enough about me, though. Like I said, we're here to discuss you, Marcus Lyre, and what I'm going to do with you…" As he talked one of his other ribbons started reaching under the desk. When he paused in the middle of his sentence there, he pulled his ribbon back up, revealing that he was holding my belt! "…and your lovely little team you have here."

"Let them go, you bastard!" I shouted, getting up and trying to reach for my belt. The sight of my family in the paws of such a monster filled me with rage, and I couldn't control my actions. Vale pulled my belt back when I tried to reach for it, though, and countered my action by burning my hand with his cigar. I shouted in pain and pulled my hand back, shaking it to get the hot ashes off.

"Tsk tsk tsk tsk," Vale clicked his tongue while shaking his head. "How rude of you, reaching for something that doesn't belong to you. You didn't even let me finish what I was saying before you interrupted me. Now please, sit back down before I'm forced to do something worse than give you a little poke. Believe me, that's something I don't want to do to you, Marcus Lyre." Glaring daggers at the Sylveon, I sat back down, and said nothing. "I will offer this much. I can understand your attachment to these three, so for the remainder of this conversation, I will not threaten them in any way, if for no other reason than to keep you from interrupting me like this again. Deal?" He looked back at me with a smirk and an evil glint in his eye before he set my belt down on the table in front of me. "I will ask that you leave your belt there while we talk, though. I'm afraid I didn't come here prepared for a battle, hence why I used my cigar rather than a move to stop you."

Reluctantly, I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms, not breaking my glare. "Alright then," I replied. "So are you gonna get to what you actually wanna say anytime soon, or…?"

Vale puffed his cigar again. I was at least thankful he blew the smoke away from me each time he did this. "I'll cut to the chase," Vale said. "You and your team burned down one of my Daycares and liberated a lot of my own Pokemon. I'll level with you, Marcus Lyre, that pissed me off. However, a little Pidgey told me – or rather, a little Rotom told me – that you personally rescued one Pokemon in particular that I happen to have quite an interest in." Vale leaned forward a little, and his tone grew dark. "Listen here, Marcus Lyre. I like you. I like the cut of your jib. You've got fire, and that's something I can appreciate. However… that's not the reason you weren't killed on the spot when my boys found you in the Lost Tower yesterday. No, the only reason you're still alive is because I need you for something." Vale then leaned back in his chair a little, and took another puff of his cigar. (I'm starting to get tired of writing that, but it's what happened, and I wanna keep my journal as accurate as possible.) Vale smiled again. "Ask me why you're still alive, Marcus Lyre. Go ahead, don't be shy."

I clenched my fist under the table where Vale couldn't see. "What do you want with me?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Ooh, good reply!" Vale mocked. "You've got me shaking in my socks. At least, you would if I were wearing them today. I will tell you, though, the reason you're alive – what I want with you – has to do with that little Leafeon you rescued that day, as well as her egg." The Sylveon chuckled evilly. "Her name was Ki, wasn't it?"

"Ki…" I repeated quietly, unaware that I had even spoken until after I spoke.

"So my suspicions are confirmed," Vale said to me. "She was the Leafeon you walked out of there with." He puffed his cigar yet again, then turned back to me. However, something about his expression changed this time. He wasn't sure and sinister like he had been. His face seemed softer all of a sudden. His tone softened a little too. "Listen to me, Marcus Lyre, and listen to me well. You've heard a lot about me, and you've seen what I've created. You probably think of me as a monster of sorts. However, among everything else I am… I also happen to be a father."

I raised an eyebrow. This came as a shock to me. After mulling it over in my head a little, though, I came to the conclusion that it shouldn't have been a shock. If he was the mastermind of a sex slavery ring, I could imagine he'd often "have fun" with the Pokemon he owned, and I doubt he cared what egg group his subordinates were in. "Go on…" I said.

Vale leaped off of his chair and started walking around the desk towards me. "Don't get the wrong idea, Marcus Lyre," he continued. "This was a conscious decision I made, not merely the result of some careless fun. I truly wanted to have an egg with one of my bit- I should say, with one of my girls. You can only run something like what I have for so long before you begin to feel… unfulfilled. I thought taking a break and raising a child would do me well. Perhaps I'd even retire so I could focus on said child. But alas…" All of a sudden, Vale clenched the ribbon he was holding his cigar in so tight, the cigar broke in half and fell to the floor. He used his paw to stamp out the ashes before continuing. "My egg was stolen by one of my own girls. She was still in my captivity, but I could never figure out who had it, or where she hid it, until just recently." Vale paused for a moment, walking up to me and glaring right into my eyes. It was weird to feel so intimidated by a Pokemon that was literally half my size, yet there he was. "I found out it was Ki who had my egg. I flew out here to Sinnoh from a business vacation I was taking in Alola to recover them both personally, but just before I'd arrived… you did what you did."

"And I rescued her," I concluded. I was going for sounding confident and a little smug, but I'm not sure that came out in my tone quite the way I'd wanted.

Vale growled a little before suddenly lashing out with two of his ribbons, one wrapping around my neck, and one wrapping around my right wrist. He used both of these grips to yank me out of the chair I was sitting in and down onto the ground in front of him. In addition to starting to strangle me, he also put his paw on my forehead as he glared down at me.

"You listen to me and you listen to me WELL!" Vale growled. "I am a concerned and protective father. I just want to see my egg returned safely to me, and I want the bitch that egg-napped it punished. Unfortunately for me, I don't know where either of them are." He tightened his grip on me, and I felt like I was going to pass out from lack of oxygen if he went any tighter. "That's YOUR fault, Marcus Lyre. I should snap your neck right here and now for separating me from my egg!" Then, just as suddenly as he grabbed me, he threw me backwards and released me, causing me to land on my back, my head barely an inch from hitting the chair I was sitting in before. I coughed and gasped for breath, massaging the area of my neck he had his ribbon wrapped around. For some reason, that patch of skin felt smoother than the rest of my neck. It struck me as just odd enough to give actual thought. Vale then turned away from me before continuing. "Yet, here you are, with your neck intact. You're probably wondering why you're still alive after what I've said, aren't you?"

As he talked, I got up, and noticed with a glance to my left that my belt was unguarded, and Vale wasn't paying attention. If I could quietly reach for Blitz's Pokeball… but I'd need to keep Vale talking to do that. "You could say I am…" I replied as I started to quietly get up and start reaching.

"There's just one reason you're still alive, Marcus Lyre," Vale continued. "Just one simple reason. That reason… Ki is going to come right to you."

"What… do you mean by that?" I replied. It was an effort to keep Vale talking, but what he said got me legitimately curious.

"I mean, you've already saved her once," Vale replied, not turning around. "Even if she ran away from you the first time, she's going to find her way back into your arms, because that's where she feels it's safe. She has no where else to go with my subordinates on the lookout for her. And you're going to take her in because that's who you are. You're a good person, Marcus Lyre… and that will be your downfall, for the real magic shall be that you'll personally deliver her – and my egg – right to me when she comes to you. Why, you ask?" He moved his head like he was about to turn around, but stopped before I saw his eye, giving me the impression that I hadn't been caught yet. "Because if you do so… I can promise you quite a lot. I'm a very powerful Pokemon, if you haven't already noticed. I can, as the kids say these days, 'hook you up.' I have quite a fortune amassed from my business. If you need a few million Pokeyen, it will be a small price to pay for the safe return of my egg. Additionally, you will find the remainder of your journey quite free of danger… both normal danger, and the punishment I can deliver if you refuse to help me." It was here that I'd finally managed to grab Blitz's Pokeball. I was about to unclip it and send Blitz out to ruin Vale for threatening us like he did just now, but the next thing he said made me freeze. "Why are you such a good person, I wonder? Do you have sins you're trying to atone for? Or… does someone else have sins you're trying to atone for?"

My hand quivered as he said that. That last sentence… did he know? Or did he take a guess? Either way, how…? I had to shake it off and unfreeze myself. I unclipped Blitz's Pokeball and got ready to throw it.

"If that's your Ponyta, I recommend leaving her be," Vale said, not turning around. I stopped mid-throw, and the Sylveon turned around. "I've already told you once, I didn't come here in the mood for a battle. But if your balls itch that badly…" Vale then clapped his ribbons together twice. All of a sudden, the door behind me opened, and Atama appeared on the other side. "Atama, be Marcus Lyre's opponent while I take my leave.

"By your command, Master Vale," Atama said as he stepped towards me. At the same time, Vale started walking towards the door. Casually.

"You think I'm just going to let you go!?" I shouted. I moved to throw Blitz's Pokeball, still in my hand, to block Vale's path, but my arm was stopped by Atama using Psychic. I turned towards the Slowking.

"My Master said I would be your opponent," Atama said to me with an evil grin. "I will carry his will out."

"Take some time to think over my offer, Marcus Lyre," Vale called to me as he walked behind Atama and out the door. "Feel free to stay in Solaceon Town for the night, too. I promise you, we'll meet again… whether you make the smart decision or the stupid one." With that, Vale closed the door behind him.

"Dammit…" I muttered through gritted teeth. I couldn't let Vale get away, but there was a fuck-ton of base HP standing in my way that wasn't planning on moving. I returned Blitz's Pokeball to my belt and grabbed Marie's instead. "Fine, Atama. If you want a fight, I'll give you a fight! Let's go, Marie!" I then threw my Pokeball forward, releasing Marie in front of Atama. However, what actually landed in front of Atama wasn't Marie at all! At least, I didn't think it was at first glance.

"ARRRK!" the Pokemon roared as it emerged. Its fur was still black, but it stood upright on two legs, and it extended two long arms tipped with purple claws outward on either side of it. Its hair was long and purple, tied at the end in a small and seemingly pointless ponytail.

That's when I realized, somehow, at some time, Marie had evolved!

"Marie, is that you!?" I called to the Zoroark before me. As soon as I said this, the Zoroark seemed like she was suddenly caught by surprise, and began looking over her whole body. I suppose that confirmed my suspicion.

"Eh…?" Marie wondered as she looked herself over. "How did…?" Suddenly, she looked up and turned to me. "Shawn… this was what he imparted unto me before I left him back at the Lost Tower! He gave me the power I needed to evolve!" With a grin, Marie turned back to Atama and readied her claws. "Alright, then. Shawn's battling alongside me from now on, so let's see how well we work together!"

I clenched my fist and smiled. "We'll all work together, Marie," I said. "Now then, let's get it on!"

Wait… I didn't say that. And I wasn't the one who made those movements. Suddenly, I realized that I was standing behind some kind of clone of myself! I peeked around the clone, and it looked back at me with a wink.

"I heard everything from inside my Pokeball," the clone said to me. It was in this moment that it clicked: this was an illusion, and a powerful one now that Marie had evolved. "Atama can't see you right now, so get moving and chase this Vale guy down before he has a chance to escape."

"Thank you… sister," I said with a smile and a nod. I then ran around the battle and towards the door as the fake me commanded Marie's first attack. I was a little disappointed that the circumstances prevented me from seeing Marie's first battle as a Zoroark, but I couldn't bother with that right now. I had to hurry if I wanted to catch Vale.

I got to the door, and just as I was about to open it, Marie had whirled around behind Atama and put herself between him and I, knocking him forward and away from me with a Night Slash. Her newfound speed and strength astounded me. I gave Marie a smile when she made this move, and she replied with a wink. I then opened the door, catching a glimpse of Atama turning around with a confused expression on his face before Marie attacked him again, before turning and running out to try to catch Vale, hoping he wasn't already gone.

Sadly, as I peered down the hallway on the other side of the door, I saw no trace of Vale. However, I found one saving grace: a trail of faint black pawprints. Leftover soot from when Vale stamped his cigar out earlier! I followed them down the hall, and they didn't seem to be fading… at least until I got halfway down the hall when the pawprints suddenly disappeared completely. They didn't start fading or anything. It was as though Vale vanished into thin air where he stood here.

I could reasonably assume he just kept going and the soot somehow stopped leaving a tail, thus leading me further down the hall, but something in the back of my mind instead compelled me to reach down and feel the last soot pawprints. The ashes were still slightly warm. I wasn't too far behind him if he was still around. This wasn't what interested me, though. What interested me was, as I rearranged the ashes in my fingers, the floor felt strange. I thought it was concrete, but the texture didn't give me that impression. I moved my hand away from the pawprint, and that segment of floor felt like concrete was was supposed to feel. I moved back to the pawprint, and it still felt strange. I turned around and started feeling the other pawprints. They all felt strange.

Soft, I realized. The ground Vale tread was soft… just like my neck was when he grabbed me with his ribbon. I reached up to feel that area of my neck again, and it had almost gone back to normal, though I could still tell Vale had grabbed me there. I was confused, and a little bit scared, even. How could a Sylveon do something like this passively? Granted, I didn't know much about Sylveon, so I wouldn't have known whether or not I was concerned over something entirely natural, but something about this fact bugged me. Vale said he was a powerful Pokemon. Did I just find evidence of his real power…?

Suddenly, I felt like I was being watched. I looked around for the source of the feeling, but found nothing, at least until a small squeak caught my attention. I looked above me, in a corner of the ceiling, and breathed a sigh of relief as I saw nothing but a Joltik spinning a web. It stopped what it was doing when it saw me looking at it and started staring back at me, seeming confused.

"You should get out of here," I said to the Joltik. "This is a dangerous place…"

The Joltik squeaked at me – I think angrily, but I couldn't tell – before turning around and returning to its web.

After that little incident, I returned to retrieve Marie, who had made short work of Atama and was relaxing in Vale's chair when I came to get her. I left her out as we made our way out of the Daycare, just in case we ran into any more trouble.

We walked down the main hallway, and what we saw when we got to that main room with all the lights and music stunned us. The room was completely bare! No tables, no lights, no decorations… it was just a huge box, filled with nothing but air. I looked around, and came to the conclusion that the place had been cleaned out on purpose! Come to think of it, if there was that Joltik spinning a web, that was probably indicative of this place having been abandoned for a while. Did Vale close this Daycare down right after we burned the other one?

Marie and I pressed on through the building, and came to the stairwell that was supposed to lead up to the primary building. The door that was supposed to have the electronic lock was ajar, and as we walked up the stairs, it closed and locked behind us. I thought I could hear a Rotom's cry beneath the sound of the door slamming, but I didn't pay attention to that. I hurried up the stairs, and made it to the familiar hallway that led to the hallway between the main building above ground and the yard outside. I walked into the main building, and apparently startled a Pokemon Breeder manning the desk.

"W-who are you!?" he shouted as he stepped back from me. "And how'd you get back there?"

"Um…" I replied. I didn't expect to see anyone up here, so I was caught a bit off-guard. I looked around, and saw a lot of young Pokemon playing in the colorful room, to include Pichu, Chimchar, Ditto, and Budew to name a few. There was no evidence of Vale's operation anywhere here. "I… guess I'm lost."


	14. Entry 15: Heart of Zoroarkness

Marcus made it clear – and the three of us agreed with him wholeheartedly – that staying in Solaceon Town any longer than we had to was a bad idea, so despite the fact that it was late afternoon by the time we were on our way and we wouldn't make it to Pastoria City, our next destination, undeterred by Vale's threats, before nightfall, we left town soon after our encounter with Vale. Sure enough, we didn't make it far before the sun started going down, so we made camp in a wooded area with a few trees around us for shelter, with a gentle hill on one side of our camp. Blitz and I made sure the area was clear for us to set things up, and then we, along with Princess' actual help, to my surprise, helped Marcus set up camp for the night.

We all sat around a campfire that was lit courtesy of Blitz, eating a dinner Marcus had made by hand. Even though I was his sister, I'd be the first to admit that the Pokemon Food he made at the beginning of our journey was some of the worst stuff I'd ever eaten. I stomached it for his sake, though I'd offer him my two cents the next morning. Princess, unsurprisingly, turned her beak up to Marcus' cooking. I guess she wasn't completely done growing up. (She did, however, surprise me when she instead opted to go forage, and came back eating an apple.) Blitz, however, seemed to enjoy eating what Marcus made for her. I couldn't imagine he'd given her a different recipe, since Princess and I came to a consensus on how the food tasted, but Blitz tore through her entire bowl with gusto! Maybe it was her insatiable appetite that deafened her to the taste? As for Marcus himself… his own meal didn't seem much different, though he wasn't about to admit it.

Dinner was relatively quiet, in light of the day's events. After we were all done, we kinda sat in silence, staring at each other, for a long time. I guess Princess and Blitz could hear everything that went on back at the Daycare just as well as I could. We were all up to speed on Vale, and the stories surrounding him… and we all knew that he knew who we were now, and what he was capable of doing to us.

Yet despite everything, something else had been buzzing in the back of my mind for the past day. Something entirely unrelated to Vale. Figuring everyone would appreciate something to think about that wasn't this Sylveon that wanted to destroy us over a Leafeon we barely knew, I stood up, drawing everyone's attention, and started speaking.

"Marcus…" I started, "there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Marcus raised a curious eyebrow. "Oka- wait a second!" he suddenly said. "Marie, I just understood you, but you don't have your human illusion up!"

"What!?" I asked. I looked down at myself, and sure enough, I'd forgotten to change before I spoke. But how could Marcus have understood me?

"I might have a guess, actually," Princess offered. Everyone looked to the Prinplup, and Marcus seemed confused.

"Okay, so I don't suddenly have the ability to understand ALL Pokemon," he said with a sigh of relief. He then turned to me. "Guess you're still my interpreter, sis."

I chuckled. "Glad to see I'm not fired, at least," I said with a smile before turning back to Princess. "Sorry, Your Highness. Go ahead."

Princess grimaced as she detected the sarcasm in what I said, but cleared her throat and continued. "Marie, you've evolved," she continued, "so it would stand to reason that your natural abilities would have grown stronger as well as your ability to fight. Maybe you're able to use a less-complicated illusion to translate for Marcus now, and you didn't even realize it because of how effortless – even instinctive – it is for you." Blitz and I stared at Princess dumbfounded. I almost forgot to translate what she said for Marcus, even. Never did I think an explanation that mature could come out of Princess' beak, and both Blitz and Marcus seemed to share the same sentiment. The Prinplup noticed we were all staring and shrugged. "What? Just because I'm royalty doesn't mean I can't make educated guesses on situations. Besides, I was the first of us to evolve, so I know a little more about how it works, I'd say." She struck a proud and haughty stance as she said this last sentence.

"I don't mean to derail this conversation further from what Marie wanted to say…" Blitz started as she shook her head, "but the point you bring up makes me curious about something, Princess. If what you say about evolution strengthening a Pokemon's abilities are true, could that mean…?"

I saw Princess frown as she tapped her lower beak with her flipper. "You said your flames are the way they are because of a sickness you were born with," she said. She then clicked her tongue. "The topic is simply one I don't want to touch."

Blitz hung her head and sighed. I dunno if she or Marcus picked up on it, but I could hear doubt in that last thing Princess said. My deduction was that she cared enough to want to avoid getting Blitz's hopes up, only for them to potentially be crushed. "Thanks anyway…" Blitz said. She then turned to me. "I'm sorry about that, Marie."

"No, no," I replied while holding my claws up. "I'd have asked the same thing were I you." I then turned to Marcus. "Now that we're back on track, though, there's something I wanted to talk to you about, Marcus."

Marcus nodded. "Go ahead," he replied.

I took a deep breath. "Back at the Pokemon Tower, when I got attacked by Jibun, I woke up in a… strange place," I said. "And in that place… I got to talk with Shawn."

The next several minutes consisted of me recounting my reunion with my late brother, as well as Marcus adding on what they had done with Jibun in the time I was gone. Apparently, I was only inside the Dusknoir for a few minutes, a far shorter amount of time than it felt like I'd talked with Shawn for. Jibun tried several times to calm Marcus, who was practically yanking at a leash to sic Blitz on him. By the time he was finally convinced I was okay, a pair of Toxicroak and a few Croagunk suddenly rushed into the room and ambushed them. Marcus and Blitz tried to fight them off, but there were too many. Jibun, on the other hand, did everything in his power to make sure I was safe, and was only just barely able to hold out long enough before it was time for me to wake up, after which he quickly released me and retreated. This was the last thing Marcus saw before one of the Toxicroak knocked him unconscious.

After we had exchanged stories, I picked up a small twig that was lying on the ground and tossed it into the fire. There was no real purpose to that action, save for offering a brief pause in the conversation. "While I was talking with Shawn…" I continued, "or rather, at the end of our conversation, aside from giving me the strength I needed to evolve, he also told me something else. He told me… where Bonnie is buried."

Marcus nodded slowly. "And where is this?" he asked.

"That island to the north of the Sinnoh mainland, where he was born" I replied. "I think somewhere on Route 227, but I couldn't tell you for sure. Shawn showed me where, and I could lead us to it." I clenched my claw. "Marcus… he was your brother, and my trainer. We haven't been to visit his grave yet, just the same we hadn't been able to visit Shawn's until now, so this is something we both have to do!"

"I know," Marcus replied. "Marie, I'm sorry for keeping this a secret from you, but I already knew where Bonnie was buried."

"What!?" I asked, taken aback. "Marcus… how come you didn't tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd want to go there right away," he replied, "and that… is impossible." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his wallet, opening it and showing his Trainer Card, as well as the three Gym Badges we'd collected so far. "That island is full of strong Pokemon and Trainers. It's a place where the strong go to become stronger. As such, the Sinnoh League forbids travel there for any Trainer who has yet to complete the Sinnoh League – yet to obtain all eight Gym Badges and defeat the Elite Four." He closed his wallet and replaced it in his jacket. "Marie, Bonnie is part of the reason I took you with me on this journey in the first place. So we could finally visit him just the same as we were able to visit Shawn yesterday." He walked up to me and placed his hand under my chin gently, smiling. "I make a lot of questionable choices – mistakes, even – but everything I do, I do for my little sister."

I looked up at him, smiling a little as well. It was so weird, seeing him from this angle. For so long, I was used to being less than half his height, but now that I was a Zoroark, I was just a few inches shorter than we was. He no longer had to kneel down to stroke my face like he used to.

I reached up and hugged Marcus, feeling a few tears trickle down my face. "You need to stop making a habit of taking me on these emotional roller coasters," I joked.

Marcus chuckled and hugged me back. "It might be cruel, but making that smile of yours just a little wider is worth it to me," he replied.

I pulled back and smiled at him, reaching around and giving him a playful punch on his shoulder. "Not so much for me," I replied with a giggle.

We finally broke our hug after a little while, and by that point, it was time for us to hit the hay. Princess doused the fire, and Marcus laid out what he called "tatami mats" for us to sleep on. They were small thin sheets of material that provided a barrier between us and the ground so we could sleep comfortably. Each one was had an extra layer of material that served as a blanket. He said his mother was obsessed with some Kantoian culture that these were part of. I wasn't familiar with what this could've been in the slightest, but the mats were strangely comfortable. Each one Marcus laid out was color-coded, too. Mine was black, Princess' blue, Blitz's orange, and his own was red. He still had three mats left over in white, green, and yellow. Apparently he brought them because they were thin and easy to pack.

Sleep was uneasy for the lot of us, as despite the conversation Marcus and I just had, thoughts of Vale came creeping back into our minds. Not sure about anyone else, but I eventually managed to fall asleep. I had a horrific dream. The same nightmare I'd been having for so long, of that night Bonnie and Shawn were murdered, but instead of a Sandslash, the man had a Sylveon. Unlike my battle with Sandslash, I didn't stand a chance against this Sylveon. It made short work of me, and I lay in a defeated heap as I watched the man effortlessly and remorselessly gun my brother and my trainer down. Then he moved over to me and was about to shoot me, but he instead handed the gun over to the Sylveon, who grinned evilly as it took the gun in its ribbon, aimed it at me, and fired.

I couldn't run away this time like I had before.

I woke up with a start, sitting up on my mat and panting heavily. I felt my head, and realized I'd been sweating profusely, some of the sweat having soaked into my fur. I looked around, and everyone else was asleep. There was a third quarter moon hanging over us in the night sky, casting a faint bluish glow on the area that would have been noticeable were it not for Blitz's flames, lowered in her sleeping state, casting a soft and warm glow over the four of us.

Fortunately, I hadn't woken anyone up. I rubbed my eyes and laid back down. I was about to go back to sleep, but something caused me to sit back up. I heard a rustling sound somewhere nearby. I looked around, my keen eyes working to pierce the darkness and try to pinpoint the source of the disturbance. Despite my scanning, I couldn't see anything, but before I gave up, the rustling suddenly grew louder. I realized too little too late that the sound was coming from behind me, and I turned around just in time for something to yell and attack me. I got hit square in the face by a projectile of some type, yelping as I was knocked backwards from the force of the attack. I landed on my back, and noticed that Marcus and the others had been woken up by the noise. When Blitz woke up, her flames intensified back to their normal state, increasing the light in the area and allowing me to see my assailant as it landed on the ground in front of me.

It was… a Togepi?

I got up and eyed the Togepi curiously as it lay on its back. I heard everyone else come up behind me.

"Marie, what's going on?" Marcus asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"I'm not sure," I replied. I indicated the downed Togepi. "That Pokemon just came flying out of the woods and hit me square in the face. I think it got knocked unconscious when it hit me, though." I walked over to the Togepi and observed it a little more closely. It had a number of bumps and scrapes on its egg-like body, indicative that it was tumbling through the woods for a while before it finally emerged. Most of the damage was on the shell portion of its body, so it didn't seem like it was hurt too badly.

"Shite…" Marcus muttered. "Keep an eye on it, Marie. I'll grab my bag so I can get some medicine for this little guy. Princess, stay close to me just in case something else appears out of nowhere."

Marcus and Princess walked off behind us. While they were gone, I kept an eye on the Togepi, Blitz keeping me company.

"Hey Marie," Blitz suddenly said to me. I turned to the Ponyta. "While we have a second where neither Marcus nor Princess is in earshot, I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh?" I asked curiously. "What's up?"

"This might seem kinda awkward to ask, but…" Blitz said, looking down and tapping her hoof on the ground. "What exactly _are_ you and Marcus? I mean, I hear you two call each other 'brother' and 'sister' so often."

"Well, that would be right," I replied with a slow nod. "That's what we've been ever since he took me in."

Blitz sucked her teeth nervously. "I'm being real careful not to tread on harsh ground here…" she muttered. "You two seem to have… I mean, I've kinda picked up on… what I'm trying to say is-"

"We're back," Marcus said. Blitz and I turned around to see him and Princess returning, Marcus holding his bag. He then walked past us and knelt over the Togepi, quickly rummaging through his bag for Potions.

"I'll ask later," Blitz said to me as she walked over to Marcus' side to give him better light. I scratched my head, wondering what she was trying to get at.

Two Potions and a few small bandages later, Togepi was all patched up. Marcus stood and wiped some sweat from his brow, stepping back for a second and admiring his work. Unfortunately, Togepi hadn't yet woken up.

"It should be fine," Marcus reassured us. "It's likely a hatchling, so it might need rest anyway." Marcus then reached down and unclipped an empty Pokeball from his belt, eyeing it for a moment before setting it down on the ground next to Togepi. "Just in case…"

My ears flicked suddenly as I picked up a new noise. I turned towards the hill Togepi had rolled in from, and there was indeed another rustling noise coming from that direction. I stood and readied myself for a potential fight, and in my peripherals, I saw Princess and Blitz do the same.

The rustling grew louder and louder before a Pokemon finally flew out of the shrubbery. It moved swift as a bullet, so it was impossible to get a good look at what it was when it first came out. I definitely remember getting hit by a move, however. It was a Leaf Blade, and a fast one at that, as I noticed in that same instant that Blitz and Princess also got hit and were knocked backwards the same as me. I was able to look in Marcus' direction just in time to see him dive out of the way of our new assailant, who stopped moving while placing itself between us and Togepi, its stance low and its face stuck in a growl.

Now that it had finally stopped moving, it was easy to tell that it was a Leafeon. One with several marks from poorly treated burns, including an ear that had part of it burned clean off.

"Don't touch my son!" the Leafeon snarled at us. "I'm not afraid to kill you all if you've done anything to him!"

Marcus got up and saw the Leafeon, a dumbfounded expression crossing his face. "That can't be…" he muttered. "Ki? Is that you!?"


	15. Entry 16: A Forest for the Trees

It had all happened so fast. One second, I had my son sit behind me while I climbed a tree to get some berries for him, and the next, I heard a yelling sound. I looked over, and he'd lost his balance on the incline we were on, and he went tumbling like an out-of-control ball through the forest. Horrified, I ran after him as fast as I could, weaving my way through the trees and branches that my precious Togepi was rolling clean through. I lost sight of him quickly, but I didn't give up my chase. I ran for a solid minute, hoping desperately that my son was on the other side of each bush I dove through.

Finally, I could tell I was close to him, but something made me stop several meters from where he was. I noticed that there was a light ahead. A fire, but not just any fire. A controlled fire. Someone was there with my son! I wanted to attack right away, but I had to assess the situation first. I took a deep breath and connected myself to the surrounding plant life, asking the trees to show me what they saw. Four forms. Three Pokemon, and a human. The human was closest to my son, and the Pokemon knew of my presence and were readying themselves, arranging themselves in a defensive line in front of Togepi. I had my attack planned: strike fast, strike hard, show them that they were messing with the wrong Leafeon!

That was the plan, and it worked at first, as I made it to my son and put myself between his unconscious form and the rest of them, but when I finally realized who this human was, my heart immediately sank.

"Ki? Is that you!?" he asked.

My ears drooped, I felt my stance lose all sense of intimidation, and I stared up at the trainer before me. It was the one who saved Togepi and I from Nemas! What was his name…? Marcus! That's who he was.

I took a step back and crouched low, still trying to protect Togepi, but my efforts at being actually protective being in vain as I was suddenly stricken by shame. I attacked this trainer and ran away from him, thinking I'd never have to see him again… but fate was truly a cruel mistress. Here he was again, and I had to answer to him…

"Easy now, Ki…" Marcus said to me in calming tone. "Togepi's fine. A little bumped and bruised, but I patched him up. Um… congratulations on his hatching, by the way. I assume he's the egg you were protecting before."

I stared up at him in silence for the longest time. My eyes darted around every so often, and I saw Blitz, a Prinplup I assumed to be Princess, and a Zoroark I assumed to be Marie, all staring at me as well. Suddenly, I felt tears start welling up in my eyes.

"I'm sorry…!" I sobbed, falling to the ground and burying my face in my forelegs, beginning to cry uncontrollably. I was too overcome with emotion. I'd been running for the past several days with barely any rest, and all the while, not only was I weighed down by the constant fear of Vale's pursuit of Togepi and I, but also the guilt of running away from Marcus like I did. Not a second passed after that moment when I wished I could've taken that decision back, and I knew he'd never forgive me for how ungrateful I was if he saw me again. Now that he was here in front of me, I just couldn't take it…

I'm not sure how long I cried, but I stopped when I suddenly felt a gentle touch on the back of my neck. I perked up a little, and saw that Marcus was trying to comfort me by petting me consolingly.

"Shh," he said to me with a soft smile. "Don't cry, Ki. You're okay. I'm not gonna hurt you or your Togepi. It's me, Marcus, remember?"

I sniffled once, Marcus' words calming me down a little. "I… I do remember…" I said.

"Good…" Marcus said. I suddenly realized that he understood what I was saying. No, it took me another second to register again that Marie was translating what I said for me. The only reason it didn't click at first was because she wasn't in that human form of hers. Did she learn English? "Come on, Ki, you look pretty banged up. Do you want me to fix you up like I did your son?"

I nodded slowly. I didn't have the emotional or physical strength for anything else anyway.

For the next half hour, Marcus carefully and gently used a variety of sprays and bandages on me to treat all the wounds I'd accumulated over the past several days, and the whole thing felt unimaginably pleasant. I hadn't realized how much pain I was in before until it was finally lifted thanks to Marcus' care. A caring touch, one that sought to make me better rather than abuse me somehow… I'd entirely forgotten how that felt.

As Marcus was working on me, he started talking. "If you feel like talking, I'd like to ask you a few things, Ki…" he said. I nodded, but didn't say anything. "We met Vale today."

My whole body tensed up as I heard that name, and I began shaking. "Wh… what?" I asked. "You met… did he…?"

I couldn't talk anymore. My words got caught in my throat. Marcus picked up on this and continued. "He captured me, and told me about you and your Togepi. I'm not siding with him, but I have to hear your side of this… did you kidnap that egg?"

I sighed and walked forward a little, out of Marcus' reach, over to Togepi. He was sleeping comfortably still, and I stroked his forehead with my paw. "He's not my child," I said, looking down at Togepi. "Yes, I did kidnap him, in a sense. I stole him from his father, who was a cruel and terrible creature whose greed and lust knew no bounds." I took a deep breath and turned to Marcus. "I'll tell you what I know about Vale. I guarantee you, it's vastly more horrific than what you already know. Merely a portion of what I'm going to tell you will convince you that what I did was absolutely pure, but if Vale knows who you are, you must know who he is."

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "I'm almost afraid of what you're about to tell me," he said.

I nodded grimly. "Be afraid."

 _At first, I belonged to a trainer named Mimi. She and I traveled the world, just the two of us, seeing everything there was to see. She wasn't a very good trainer, and I wasn't that good at battles anyway, but we made it around the world._

 _One day, while we were in Johto, we came across the daycare on our way to Goldenrod City._ _Mimi and I went inside, just to see what it was like._ _That was the last mistake I ever saw her make. When we walked inside, rather than being greeted by any human staff, we were greeted by an Espeon who called himself_ _Taiyo. He talked to Mimi telepathically, and somehow convinced her to leave me here for a little while. I didn't think anything horrible could possibly come of it, but it did. She left without me, and she never came back. Shortly after that, Taiyo attacked and subdued me, dragging me into some kind of room underneath the daycare._

 _It was down here_ _that I met Vale for the first time. Those beady eyes, his burning orange and yellow fur, the flames that escaped from his mouth as he smiled when he saw me for the first time-_

"Hold on a second," Marcus suddenly interrupted. "You said Vale had orange and yellow fur? But we saw him, and he was a normally-colored Sylveon. You know, with white and pink fur?"

I sighed. "He didn't show you the truth, then," I replied with a shake of my head. "Vale is not a Sylveon, nor is he a Flareon like he was when I first saw him. Vale is a Ditto, and an exceptionally powerful one."

Marcus blinked once. "A Ditto?" he asked. "But how is that possible? Ditto are supposed to have some kind of flaw in their transformations – their face remaining the same, if I remember correctly – but his face looked exactly like an ordinary Sylveon's."

I shook my head. "That's why I said he was an exceptionally powerful Ditto," I replied. "He knows the secret of achieving what he calls a 'Perfect Transformation.' He is able to transform in such a way that he actually becomes the Pokemon he transforms into. He is able to function as they do, use moves and abilities, everything. For instance, were he to transform into a Zoroark, he could generate an illusion. If he were a Rapidash, his flames would burn in a way those of a normal Ditto transformed into a Rapidash couldn't."

Marcus looked stunned. I looked over to his Pokemon, and they were dumbfounded. "How does Vale do that?" Marcus asked.

"You might want to sit down," I replied. "I'll get to that point in the story soon, and trust me, it's horrifying…"

 _Vale told me all about the business that I was now going to be a part of, and in no time at all, I was a part of his system, being passed around between humans and Pokemon alike and used in terrible ways, always with the threat of retribution by the Pokemon Vale had keeping watch over us at all times if we didn't perform._ _He also told me that my trainer wasn't coming back for me. That she hated me and abandoned me because of that._

 _I didn't want to believe him, and for four long, agonizing months of being used and abused in various ways, I tried to keep hope alive in myself. I tried to cling to the thought that Mimi was going to come save me. She and I were the best of friends. She'd never abandon me like that!_

 _...But she never came._

 _I lost hope at that point, and then became a shell of a Pokemon, barely living and trying to deafen myself to the world. The only reason I didn't take my own life was because Vale's subordinates caught onto my behavior and kept me on watch, making sure I stayed alive, forcing me to eat whenever I tried not to, keeping me locked in a room I couldn't hurt myself in if I was_ _to sleep, they'd even attack me if I so much as blinked wrong, thinking I was about to do it._

 _This went on for another two months before I got moved to the Daycare here in Sinnoh you found me in. It was there that life was finally breathed back into me. I met a Togekiss named Mary. She, too, had been abandoned by her trainer, and left in Vale's clutches. I didn't usually interact with the other Pokemon under Vale's thumb, but something about Mary clicked with me. Whenever we could, we got to talking. We quickly became friends, and soon… she and I became more than friends. Mary had given me a new outlook on life. Hell, she saved my life! When she asked me to be her mate, I couldn't even fathom saying no. I learned quickly that she really was my better half as we spent our days at the Daycare together. Even if the patrons separated us temporarily, we always tried to make our way back._

 _She and I mated twice. Once, we'd managed to do so in secret, away from the prying eyes of Vale's Pokemon. It was a truly magical experience for me, though I won't go into detail. The act of mating myself to the most beautiful Togekiss in the world forever, it was a joy I never thought I'd experience again in that hellhole. However, Vale's Pokemon quickly found out about our actions. Rather than punish us, though, they locked the two of us in a room that was full of cameras, and forced us to fornicate while the patrons of the Daycare watched._ _(Apparently, humans were into watching relationships like ours, ahem, "unfold.")_ _I admit, a lot of magic was lost that second time because of the circumstances,_ _but it was still her and I together. All things considered, if we were actually being allowed to do this, it was an opportunity the other Pokemon in captivity would have killed for._

 _Obviously, we were still sent out for the humans to monhandle just like everyone else, but now that we had that arrangement set up, Mary and I thought there could be a degree of happiness for the two of us. That didn't last very long at all, though. Not even a day later, purely by coincidence, Vale himself arrived at our Daycare. Things went horribly south from there._

 _Vale enjoyed visiting his Daycares and taking mates for himself. Since he was a Ditto, he was able to transform himself into different forms in order to suit his own needs, including if he wished to cause his mate pain or even impregnate her. Sadly, Mary was one of the first ones he claimed when he arrived. He transformed into a Granbull and utterly abused her. He was in a spiteful mood, as he caused her as much pain as he possibly could, even biting her several times before he was finished with her. And he forced us to watch the entire time. He then cast Mary aside, like he always did. He repeated this process with several others, using different powerful forms every time, but I was spared. I stayed by Mary's side while Vale did his work before he left for the day. I held and comforted Mary, who was crying after what had happened to her. I tended to her bite wounds as best I could, but there was some damage I couldn't repair… including the egg Vale gave her._

 _Over the next several days, the Pokemon Vale raped bore their eggs, including Mary. She was allowed to keep her egg for a time, as Vale didn't care for it… yet. The first egg that hatched belonged to a Dewott, and of course, it hatched into an Oshawott._

 _The Dewott held her new daughter in her arms for all of two minutes before Vale emptied out the main room of the patrons and gathered us in there. He then entered in his normal Ditto form, and came sliding into the room to see the hatchling. Dewott knew what was next, and tried to resist._

 _"P-please…" she begged while she was crying, "have a heart, Master Vale. She's just a hatchling!"_

 _Vale clicked his tongue and shook his head. "My dear, dear Dewott…" he said as he waved an arm-like appendage of goo, summoning the two Scrafty to walk up and separate Dewott and Oshawott. Dewott screamed as one of the Scrafty lifted her by her arms and held her, while the other one grabbed Oshawott, who started crying and reaching for her mother. Dewott struggled relentlessly, but the Scrafty's grip on her was too strong. The other Scrafty presented Oshawott to Vale, setting her down in front of him. "I'm afraid you already knew that I needed an Oshawott from you."_

"Ki! Ki, calm down!"

I hadn't even realized it until Marcus called to me, but I'd collapsed to the ground and started shaking in the middle of my story. I stopped and took a look at myself, then got up and tried to shake myself off. "I'm sorry…" I said. "It… the story got to me, I guess." I shook my head. "I have to keep going for you, though." I shuddered. "It's important you know, Marcus."

"Ki, you can stop now," Marcus reassured me. "Seeing your mate raped like that… I couldn't imagine…"

"No!" I shouted. "It… it doesn't end there!"

 _Dewott screamed, cried, and kicked as Vale advanced on the defenseless newly-hatched_ _Oshawott. He looked down on her and used his transformative abilities to grow his body until he was almost twice the size of the Oshawott. He grinned evilly as the hatchling cowered in fear, not knowing what was about to happen to her but fear_ _ful of what it could be nonetheless._

 _Then, Vale leaped forward and on top of the Oshawott._

 _"NOOOO!" Dewott screamed as she watched this happen to her daughter. Everyone was forced to watch as the Oshawott came up through Vale and out of his back, struggling and gasping as strands of Vale clung to her, pulling her back in._ _I'd heard about what Vale was doing, but this was the first time I'd seen it with my own eyes. He was eating the Oshawott. The sight was as disgusting as the others made it out to be. The poor hatchling screaming and struggling as Vale's body pulled her further in, digesting her cell by cell. As suddenly as it started, her screaming stopped, and the parts of her body that weren't already inside Vale went limp. She was one of the lucky ones. She died to blood loss before she was completely consumed. Without Oshawott's struggling, Vale_ _made short work of finishing the rest of her. There wasn't a trace of her left by the time he was finished. The Ditto's body gurgled slightly before he returned to his normal size and breathed a sigh of relief._

 _"Ah, a fresh meal is a good meal," he commented with a sinister chuckle. He then turned around to Dewott, who had been let go by Scrafty, but didn't do anything but break down into a sobbing mess. With a sinister chuckle, Vale approached Dewott. He then did something that actually topped what I'd just witnessed in terms of what made him truly a monster. He transformed into a perfect imitation of the Oshawott he'd just consumed. He walked up to Dewott and tapped her once. She looked up, and screamed bloody murder when she saw Vale's new form._

 _"Mother, what's wrong?" Vale teased. "It's still me. I'm_ _just_ _with your master… forever!" Vale cackled evilly as he transformed back into a Ditto, turning away from Dewott, who had finally fainted from the terror she'd been subjected to. "Ah, I love it when they faint. Now then, Scrafty, pick her up and take her to isolation. She won't be of much use to me again until she evolves._ _S_ _he can join her daughter_ _when that time comes_ _." He then turned to the rest of us and smirked evilly. "As for the rest of you, I promise that step is easier if you'd just come to terms with the fate that's in store for your eggs. I tell that to every batch of girls I impregnate, and_ none _of them ever listen to my advice!" He threw his "arms" up and groaned in fake exasperation before turning and walking out, accompanied by the two Scrafty, one of which was carrying Dewott's unconscious body._

 _There was a_ _while where the room was dead silent. I looked over to Mary, who was holding her egg in her wings and sobbing softly. She knew what was going to happen to her Togepi… our Togepi…_

 _I had to put a stop to this._

I paused my story to turn around and look at Togepi, who looked like he was healing well, and was now simply curled up and sleeping. It was at this moment that I realized something else. There was a Pokeball next to him, just lying on the ground. I looked over at Marcus. "Were you… planning on catching Togepi?" I asked.

Marcus nodded. "When we found him, he was battered, bruised, and alone," he replied. "I left it there in case no one came for him. You did come for him, though."

I looked between the Pokeball and my son – Mary's son. I clenched my paw and turned to Marcus. "If you're willing to help him still… I want to come with you as well," I said firmly. "Please, Vale is after him, and I want to make sure he's safe."

Marcus sighed and looked down, away from me. I wondered what was on his mind. He finally looked back and said, "If you really want me to catch both of you, I will. I can't promise we're strong enough to keep you safe if we run into Vale if he's capable of what you just described, but it's better than you two out here on your own."

"Oh, thank you!" I cheered as I ran up and hugged Marcus.

"But…" Marcus added, "if you don't mind me prying, I'm still curious about a couple more things pertaining to Vale. If you think you can stomach my questions."

I sighed and broke the hug, walking back to my spot next to Togepi. "Lucky for you, I wasn't finished with my story…" I said.

 _Over the next couple days, more eggs hatched, and every one met the same fate as Oshawott. We were all forced to watch each time. I'd had enough. Mary's egg hadn't hatched yet, but it was close to doing so. I could feel it._

 _"Mary," I whispered to her one night when we were supposed to be sleeping. "Mary, wake up."_

 _"Ki…?" Mary asked groggily as she woke up, rolling over slightly to let the egg between us breathe. "What is it? Other than saving me from that nightmare I just had…"_

 _"I'm going to rescue our egg," I replied determinedly. "I'm going to hide it and find a way for the three of us to escape this place before Vale can consume our child."_

 _Mary shifted slightly, but I placed my paw on her gently to remind her not to move, so as to not alert the security Scrafty. "Ki, that's crazy," she said to me. "I beg of you, tell me what you need from me."_

 _The plan was not dissimilar to how you all met me. I hid our egg in a potted plant while the guards weren't looking. There were only the two Scrafty, Nemas, and Ghost Signal, the Rotom, the latter of whom could easily be paid off with a little food extra than what Vale allots us. Fortunately, I was able to secure the food I needed for Ghost Signal since I'd stopped exhibiting suicidal behavior, and the security eased their watch on me. Everyone else, it was rather easy to sneak around, especially considering that they primarily relied on some kind of alert from Ghost Signal watching the cameras anyway._

 _This plan worked for all of a single day. Then, Vale got suspicious. He gathered us all together, and had words with us._

 _"Alright, let me put it to you ladies straight," he said as he slid around in front of us. "I impregnated eight of you the other day, and so far, I've only had seven eggs hatch. Someone here who's smart, do the math for me. Someone who isn't Nemas nor I. What's eight minus seven?" He paused for a moment and looked around the room. He sighed and shook his head when there was no answer. "You ladies really need to learn that it's okay to talk if you're spoken to. ANYWAY!" He then started moving in Mary's direction. "Someone here not only hasn't hatched their egg… but their egg – MY egg, I should say – is entirely unaccounted for!" He finally got right up to Mary's face. I backed away some, fearing what Vale was going to do next. "Tell me one thing, Mary… where did you hide it? I promise, I'll be lenient on my punishment if you just fess up now. You'll likely live, even."_

 _"I… I don't know!" Mary replied, true terror plastered onto her face. She'd asked me not to tell her where her egg was hidden in case something like this happened so she could have deniability. I suddenly wished I'd told her. "I really don't! Someone… someone egg napped it!"_

 _My ear twitched slightly as I heard this, but I didn't move or react otherwise. I didn't want to doubt Mary. I loved her, after all. But I couldn't help but be suspicious of her gameplan all of a sudden._

 _"Oh?" Vale asked as he got even closer to her. I could see her start to tremble and sweat. "I have a hard time believing you'd let your egg out of your sight long enough for someone to swipe it. Unless you doubt the ability of my staff to keep you all safe?"_

 _"I-I-I couldn't tell you how it happened," Mary replied. "I just-"_

 _"And what leads you to believe I'd believe you wouldn't come begging for help at the first sign your egg was missing, hmm?" Vale interrupted loudly, growing his body some. Fear suddenly shot through me. There was only one time he ever did that…!_

 _"Please believe me, Master Vale!" Mary begged as she tried to back away from the advancing Ditto. "I really don't know where my egg is!"_

 _"Shh, shh," Vale said calmly as he stopped advancing and moved to consolingly pat Mary on the shoulder. "It's okay, sweet Mary. I believe you…"_

 _Then, Vale did something that would scar me for as long as I lived. He forcefully brought himself down on Mary in an instant… but only on half of her body. As soon as he pulled back, I could see the look of shock, terror, and pain on Mary's face as she realized what had happened… or at least, the half of her face that had remained. Vale had perfectly bisected her, instantly digesting the half he took off of her. She screamed and fell to her side – or at least, the side that was left – as blood started gushing out of the gaping hole that her body now was while Vale turned around and returned to his normal size._

 _"Ugh, you ladies know I hate to do that just on a whim," he said to us as he started sliding away from Mary's mutilated form. "Anyway, let poor Mary serve to be an example. If you ever get any ideas of funny business like what she managed, I guarantee you, you'll be sorry." He paused for a moment and took a breath, seeming irritated by Mary's agonized screams. "That said, I ask that you all keep a sharp eye out for my egg. It will hatch any day now, and I'd prefer to be there when it happens." He then turned and glared at a Swanna that was among us. "You? Do you know anything?"_

 _Swanna quickly backed away, cowering. "I-I swear, I have nothing to do with this, Master Vale!" she replied._

 _"Tch," Vale muttered. He then leaped forward with incredible speed, flying through Swanna and bisecting her similarly to what he'd done to Mary. However, Vale missed slightly, and took out the base of Swanna's long neck, beheading her in the process as well. Even as a disembodied head and neck, she lived for just a few more seconds, a few more seconds of what I could only imagine was unfathomable agony._

 _"I really do hope you weren't lying to me just now, Swanna," Vale said. "That would make your sudden demise actually problematic." He then turned and slid out of the room. "If any of you find anything, please inform Ghost Signal for me so he can send a message. I had business scheduled in Orre tomorrow assuming all of my eggs would be hatched by now… or at the very least accounted for. Anyway, someone please get to cleaning Mary and Swanna up, and someone PLEASE shut the former up! That screaming is going to keep me up all night at this rate!"_

 _Once Vale left, no one dared move, let alone help Mary or Swanna, both of whom were still bleeding out profusely. Except for me. I rushed to Mary's side, and knelt down to her, rubbing a paw on what was left of her face. My touch seemed to calm her screaming a little, but it devolved into rapid panicked breaths._

 _"I'm sorry, Mary…" I said as tears started welling up in my eyes. "I should've done something to save you."_

 _"K-K-Ki…!" Mary choked out. "D-Don't… worry about… me…! Our child… the world… is in… your…!" She clenched her eye shut and screamed again. "It's too… too much…! Ki, please… you have to… kill me…! I can't take the paiiin!"_

 _I clenched my paw. When Mimi abandoned me, I thought coming to terms with that was the most excruciating thing I would ever experience. In this moment, however, I realized I was horribly wrong. Watching the one you loved with all of your heart in such a horrible state, and them begging you to end their suffering for you… that was pain no living thing should ever have to suffer. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do… but I had to do it._

 _"I promise to keep our child safe no matter what…" I whispered, doing my best to let the last words Mary heard be broken up by my sobs. "Leaf Blade…"_

I took a deep breath as I finished my story. I sat on my haunches and looked up at Marcus and the rest of his Pokemon. For the most part, they didn't seem to know how to react to what I'd just told them.

"Wow…" Marcus muttered while shaking his head. "Just… wow…"

Princess fell forward, seeming like she'd almost fainted. Fortunately, Marie caught her before she hit the ground. "What a… a monster…" she said. "How could Arceus let such a thing live…?"

"It's funny you mention Arceus," I said, getting up and assuming a determined stance. "There's one last piece to this story, and it's probably the worst of all." I took a deep breath, then raised my voice. "The reason Vale does this, the reason he impregnates Pokemon, forces then to lay and hatch their eggs, and then consumes the hatchlings… is so he can obtain what he calls 'Complete DNA.' A Ditto is blank DNA, which is what allows it to transform into other Pokemon, but these transformations are often flawed because of this fact. Vale, however, discovered methods of overcoming this obstacle, and one of those methods was absorbing other Pokemon to add their DNA to his genome." I looked over to Togepi, whom I still hadn't managed to wake up, thankfully. "Togepi is one of the few dozen Pokemon left on his list…"

"His list?" Marcus asked. I turned back to him. "You make it sound like he's trying to do this for many different Pokemon."

"ASTUTE!" I replied loudly, slamming my paw onto the ground. "This is what I've heard through the grapevine: Vale wants to obtain the Complete DNA of all 800-ish species of Pokemon in the world. Why?" I paused for a moment, quieting my voice to a more dark tone. "If he does this… if he completes his entire genome and, for all intents and purposes, BECOMES every Pokemon in existence, wrapped into a single being… he could potentially become a God. He could have more power than Arceus himself! He could rule the entire world!" Right as I said this, there was a random clap of thunder, despite the fact that the sky was cloudless. We'd find out later there was a Pikachu engaged in a battle nearby at that time. I cleared my throat and continued. "From what I've come to understand about the Daycare, Vale created it as a way to breed the Pokemon he still needed in a controlled environment. He eventually grew it into a business simply as a hobby, but he became a very powerful Pokemon in many other ways as a result. Now his Daycare is practically an empire, with a dark underlying purpose. Amid it all, however, I have reason to believe that Mary was the only Togekiss in Vale's possession. I highly doubt he'd send the monhunt he did after that egg if he could easily get another Togepi egg from somewhere else. If we can keep Mary's son safe, we can keep the world safe."

Marcus looked away from me and sighed. "Ki… I'm sorry for everything you've been through," he said to me. "I'm sorry about Mimi and Mary. I'm also sorry for how you've gotten wrapped up in all of this… but if you want my help, there's one last thing you need to know." He looked back to me with a strong expression. "When Vale had me in his Daycare, he told me that you were the one who kidnapped his egg, and he wanted me to deliver you two to him personally because he knew you'd come to me for help like this eventually. He offered me lucrative rewards, and even threatened us in case I couldn't be bought." Marcus paused to indicate his Pokemon sitting around him. My ears drooped slightly as I started to understand what this could have meant, but I perked up when Marcus continued talking. "However… even without knowing of his vile deeds and the horrible plans they led to… I'd already resolved to not do that, and instead keep you two safe, simply because it was the right thing to do." He clenched his fist. "I might be on this quest for the sake of power and becoming the best, but I, Marcus Lyre, absolutely refuse to sell innocent Pokemon out to monsters for that goal!"

"So… you'll help us?" I asked, cautiously excited.

Marcus sighed. "It's infinitely more than any of us could have bargained for when we started our journey…" he replied while shaking his head, "but you're trying to explain to me that keeping that child away from a monster as villainous as Vale can also potentially save the world. That's not something I can just walk away from." He turned to his Pokemon. "What about you all?"

"I'll kick that cretin's hindquarters myself just for that Oshawott!" Princess replied with a growl.

"I'm still kind of creeped out by how similar your old mate's name was to mine…" Marie started, "but I can set that aside and do this for Marcus' sake."

"I'll run wherever Marcus runs," Blitz added. "If he wants to run into the fire like this, then I'll be his shield."

"But most importantly…" Marcus said as he pulled another Pokeball off of his belt and presented it to me, "…we're going to treat you two like part of the family while we're protecting you." With a smile, he added, "That's what you're going to be, after all."

I could feel tears of joy well up in my eyes. I walked up to Marcus, but stopped as I realized something. I turned around, and Togepi was still sleeping. "I… should probably wake him up for this." I chuckled and walked up to him, gently nudging him awake. "Togepi… wake up now…"

He shuddered once when I touched him, but otherwise gracefully woke up. He stretched and yawned before getting to his feet himself. "Is it time to wake up already, Mamma?" he asked me in his usual squeaky tone. I winced when he called me his mom. I never told him the truth of what happened to Mary, and I intended to keep him in the dark. He didn't deserve to suffer the reason we'd been on the run his whole life…

"Not only that, Togepi," I said, putting on a brave smile. "Remember how I've told you about trainers? Well, I've finally found one who wants to take us on an adventure, like I said one would."

"Really?" Togepi asked, smiling as his eyes lit up. "Oh boy! I'm so happy, I could- WOAH!" Togepi tried to jump for joy, but he lost his balance and feel sideways, right onto the Pokeball Marcus set on the ground next to him earlier. He was immediately drawn into the Pokeball, which shut and rocked once, twice, thrice… and he was caught.

"Well… that skips a step, I guess," Marcus said with a chuckle. "I guess introductions can be saved for later. For now, though… you should follow him."

I turned back to Marcus and nodded with a smile before reaching up and tapping the Pokeball in his hand. It quickly opened up, and I felt myself drawn into it. The Pokeball shut around me, and I could feel it shake once…

 _"I've never let an egg go before…"_

Twice…

 _"Promise me you'll keep our son safe…"_

Thrice…

 _"This is personal now… TINY!"_

And with a **click,** one nightmare ended, and a new one began…


	16. Entry 17: A Tiny Pinch of Magic

Marcus named me Tiny. I think he said the name felt "cute" on me. I mean, I was pretty small, I guess. Only about twice the size of a Pokeball. And hey, even if I didn't ask to hatch this cute, that's what happened. Just one of the many blessings of being a Togepi!

Mamma and I joined Marcus in the middle of the night, but I was asleep for most of that time. I only woke up in time for Mamma to tell me what was going on before I started dancing with joy... then fell over and landed on a Pokeball Marcus had on the ground next to me. I guess that saved us some kind of trouble. It was the middle of the night at the time, so we didn't actually do introductions until the morning. Mamma and I met our new friends, I got my new name, and we were off to a place called Veilstone City!

As we traveled, I noticed Marcus walked with Princess and Mamma flanking him on either side, holding me in his arms. Blitz and Marie stayed in their Pokeballs. Mamma kept looking between the road ahead and back at me. At one point, she asked Marcus, "Are you sure having either - let alone both - of us out is a good idea?"

"Relax, Ki," Marcus replied with a smile. "Nothing's gonna happen to you two while your with me. I promise."

Right as Marcus said this, something happened. A wild Pachirisu suddenly leapt out in front of us, looking ready to attack.

"Ooh," Marcus commented. "A bout with a regular wild Pokemon should be a nice change of pace from what we've been encountering lately." He took a moment and looked between Princess and Mamma, humming to himself for a bit before looking down at me. "Actually... how would you like to get your feet wet?"

"Me?" I asked, tilting my head slightly to the side curiously.

"Marcus, I doubt that's a good idea," Mamma commented worriedly.

"Sorry Ki, Marie's not here, so I can't understand ya," Marcus replied with a chuckle as he held me up and moved me so that I was looking at him. "What do you say, Tiny? Wanna have you're first battle now?"

I smiled. "I'd love to!" I cheered. After watching Mamma do all the fighting for so long, I was excited to finally do some battling myself!

"Alright then..." Marcus said as he held me in one hand and used the other to fix his hat. "Time for battle! I choose you, Tiny!" He then tossed me out toward the Pachirisu in an upward arc. I tried to right myself in midair, but despite my best efforts, I stumbled a little on my landing. Still, I managed to not fall over, and I set myself into a combat-ready stance in front of Pachirisu.

"Alright, you're my first opponent ever," I said to my foe with a smile. "Go easy on me, okay?"

"Tch," Pachirisu chirped. "You think I care about that? I just want the Sitrus Berries in your trainer's bag. I'll roll you flat in a heartbeat for 'em, too!" She emphasized this with a dramatic point in my direction. For some reason, her words and actions sent a chill down my spine. This must have been the anticipation of battle I felt! I was ready!

"Okay..." Marcus started. I glanced behind me, and noticed he was checking his Pokedex. I wasn't sure at the time, but I'd find out later that he was scanning me to see what moves I knew. I also noticed him frown as he looked on. I was just a hatchling, of course, so I didn't know much. All the battle experience I had was from standing by and watching Mamma do all the fighting. "Okay, I can work with this. Tiny, start the battle off with Charm!"

I grinned. Charm was my specialty, and I turned it up from a natural 10 to a hefty 11, turning and glancing sideways at Pachirisu cutely.

"C'mon, you know you don't wanna hurt little ol' me," I said to her with a wink. I noticed she blushed and pouted away from me. I got her right where I wanted her.

"S-shut up!" Pachirisu shouted. "Spark!" She then turned back toward me and unleashed a weak jolt of electricity in my direction. I braced myself, and was met with a powerful shock. The electricity coursed through my body, from my head to my feet, causing a pain unlike anything I'd ever experienced before in my life.

It was exhilarating!

"Tiny! Are you alright?" I heard Mamma call. "Marcus, get me in there!"

"Can you still fight, Tiny?" Marcus called, seeming to ignore Mamma. I turned around and smiled.

"Ready for more!" I replied with a nod.

Marcus smiled, but Mamma looked worried, her leaf and ears drooping. "Then let's start the fun," Marcus said. "Tiny, use Metronome!"

Metronome. The only move I knew that could potentially attack. Without hesitation, I turned back to Pachirisu and started wagging my stubby right arm back and forth. As I did this, I could feel my body fill with an indescribable energy. As though every move known by every Pokemon in existence was about to burst from me. At last, my finger stopped wagging, the tip glowing.

Before I knew what was happening, I started taking a step forward while muttering, "Earthquake." My foot hit the ground, and all of a sudden, the ground around me, and soon the whole area, started violently shaking. I saw Pachirisu stumble around, and I heard Marcus, Mamma, and Princess calling out as they stumbled as well. After a moment of shaking, the ground around Pachirisu split open, and a large chunk of earth shot out, knocking her off her feet, into the air, and flat on her back a couple feet away.

At this point, the Earthquake ended and the ground stopped shaking. I looked around at the destruction I had managed. Fortunately, since I was still weak, I didn't do much. Just the ground cracked where Pachirisu was, that very same Pokemon on her back with her tail twitching, and behind me, Marcus, Mamma, and Princess picking themselves back up. "Uh..." I started with a nervous chuckle. "Oops?"

Marcus stood up and dusted himself off. "Well... I probably should've been ready for that..." he said. "Heh, on the bright side, Blitz wasn't out here. She'd've had a pretty bad time just now."

"Sorry..." I replied. "Are you three alright?"

"You got dirt on my feathers..." Princess grumbled.

"Other than what seems to be the obligatory Princess gripe," Marcus started, "we're alright. In fact... that was pretty awesome! You've got some luck, managing an Earthquake with that Metronome. One could even assume you had... Super Luck, perhaps?" I got that he was trying to make a joke, but maybe that really was my Ability. At least, that's what I'd wonder at the time.

"Yet..." Mamma muttered with a concerned expression. "I wouldn't count on such luck in the future, Tiny..."

I pondered what both of them said to me for a bit. Super Luck, huh? I wondered at the time what that meant for me. I didn't wonder for long, though, before Marcus started walking towards me... and then past me, over to the downed Pachirisu. I followed him closely, wondering what he was about to do.

Marcus knelt down next to Pachirisu, removing his bag. "Hey, you alright there?" he said to her as he reached into and dug around in his bag.

"What... do you think...?" Pachirisu groaned in reply. She stayed down, shaking a little from how badly I had apparently beaten her. However, once Marcus pulled something out of his bag, she quickly perked her head up. Marcus had a Sitrus Berry in his hand.

"I wanted to offer you a present," Marcus said as he held the Sitrus Berry out to Pachirisu. "As a way of saying thanks for being Tiny's first opponent."

Pachirisu eyed the berry for a moment. Her gaze shifted to Marcus in what I assumed to be an attempt to read some type of deception, but I could tell he was sincere. She looked over to me, but I shrugged, having nothing to offer. She then looked back to the Sitrus Berry in Marcus' hand for a moment before reaching up and snatching it, bringing it close to her, and beginning to nibble at it, stopping every so often to eye us.

"Er... thanks, I guess," Pachirisu muttered between bites.

Meanwhile, Marcus turned to me and smiled. "As for you, Tiny..." he started, "what do you say to a bit of training on our way to Veilstone City?"

"Marcus...!" Mamma called as she ran up to him. "I'm gonna have to put my paw down on this one!"

"I get it, Ki, you're concerned," Marcus said as he turned around to Ki. "If it makes you feel any better, you can stay out and keep an eye on him."

"That... doesn't make me feel better at all..." Mamma replied with drooping ears.

Completely ignoring Ki's verbal cues, Marcus Turned back around to Princess. "That said, go ahead and take a rest, Princess," he said as he pulled out the Prinplup's Pokeball. "I think I'll let Tiny cover my other flank for a while. If you don't mind, of course."

"I could use the extra rest, actually," Princess replied while crossing her flippers over her chest. "I did loose a whole hour of beauty sleep last night to Ki's story, anyway."

Mamma deflated further. "Why does everyone seem to have it out for me today?" she muttered.

[***]

I got to fight four more battles after that. Once against a Buizel, which I felled with a Thunderbolt, a Bidoof that suffered a Brick Break-down, a Roselia that got a real Psyshock, and a Bonsly that didn't need to be big to take a hard Waterfall. Apparently Marcus was right. I did have Super Luck, and it was something else entirely! Whatever I needed off of my Metronome, I was able to pull it without issue!

I sure wasn't complaining, and neither was Marcus. Mamma, on the other hand, seemed concerned every time I used Metronome. I wonder what she was worried about...?

Regardless, Mamma and I both battled our way through a number of wild Pokemon before we finally reached Veilstone City, and what timing we had, too. I could tell Mamma was starting to grow fatigued, and I was starting to feel the wear of several battles in a row too. So of course, the Pokemon Center was our first stop.

[***]

It was about late afternoon when we arrived, so Marcus didn't want to challenge the Gym until the next day, which was fair. I kinda wanted my rest before that big day, not that I was actually going to battle on the Gym.

Later that night, the six of us were gathered around eating dinner. Fortunately, I wasn't subjected to Marcus' cooking for the third time that day, as he bought a meal for us from a restaurant in the Veilstone Department Store's food court. We weren't the only full team of Pokemon there, either. There were at least two trainers there with trams of six, and a few with two or three Pokemon with them.

For the most part, dinner was uneventful. Mamma and I were caught up on a few exciting things that the others had been through before, which resulted in a number of funny tangents and laughs from the whole party. All that positive emotion and laughter, it made me feel so good just being around it all! So much so, I actually started glowing at one point. Marcus, referencing his Pokedex, brought up that this was because Togepi, like myself, gathered positive emotion as energy, almost like food. This last fact did explain why I didn't eat much of my dinner, in retrospect...

Once we were finished with dinner and about to leave, Marcus stopped us briefly. "Alright, ladies and Tiny," he started, "our fourth Gym Battle is tomorrow morning. However, it'll be the first we'll fight with Ki and Tiny on our team." He then looked over to Mamma and I. "That said, how would you two like to partake in the Gym Battle with us?"

I was struck. I didn't know much about Gyms and such - just that they were huge and important battles - but I knew enough to know that Marcus was asking a lot of Mamma and I all of a sudden.

"I really don't think that's a good idea at all, Marcus," Mamma spoke up. "So Tiny has had a rather long streak of good luck with Metronome. I doubt that warrants using him in a Gym Battle, especially if he's only been training along that one route we just got through."

After listening to Marie's translation, Marcus replied. "I understand you're concerned, Ki," he said. "But don't you think all this training would be good for him if he might have to defend himself one day from..." He nodded his head to the side awkwardly and hummed. I wondered what that was supposed to mean... "Trying to protect him to the degree you want to isn't doing him any favors."

Mamma was about to respond, but she looked down at me, and I guess seeing me made her realize that Marcus was right. She sighed. "Fine," she muttered. "But you're going to use him before me, and switch me in for him the second he looks like he's in real trouble!"

Marcus shook his head. "That I can't promise," he said. "I've had a problem with that in the past, but I've been learning to believe in my team... just the same as you need to learn how to believe in your son."

Mamma was about to argue, but Blitz came up and put her hoof on Mamma's shoulder. "Believe what he's saying, Ki," she said. "He was afraid to let us go for our full potential at first, too. Once he learned to let go of the fear of seeing us hurt, though, that's when we started to really grow, both individually and as a family." She then turned to me and smiled. "All you have to do is learn to do that with Tiny, and I promise neither of you will regret it."

Mamma finally seemed to surrender with a sigh, hanging her head. "Fine," she grumbled, "you all have convinced me." She then looked over to me. "Tiny, my son... just promise me you'll be careful?"

"I will!" I cheered as I ran up and hugged Mamma. "Thank you for letting me battle in this Gym thing!"

Mamma brought one of her forelegs around me and hugged me closely. I thought I could feel some kind of sadness behind her hug, but I didn't let this bother me much at the time. After a moment, she released me, then turned to Marcus. "Well, Marcus?" she asked. "If we've got that big a day tomorrow, don't you think we need our rest tonight?"

Marcus smiled and nodded. "Sounds good to me," he said. He then pulled out our Pokeballs all at once. "Everybody, return."

In the split second in which my Pokeball was returning me, I took one last look around me. Everyone around me exuded a positive energy that I knew would give me strength for a long time to come. All the smiles around me, Marcus, Princess, Marie, Blitz, Mamma...

I knew they'd all have a huge impact on my life from here on out.


	17. Entry 18: Training Day

I did a little reading into the Veilstone Gym the night before. Apparently, the Gym doubled as both a Pokemon League Gym, and a martial arts Gym. I couldn't have asked for a better first Gym for Tiny to battle in! Not only could he get his first real battle done, but maybe I could ask the Gym Leader to give him some additional training.

He'd need it if and when we ran into Vale again, and I wanted to make sure he was ready for that day...

That dark thought aside, I came up with the team I would use on the walk between the Pokemon Center and the Gym. Of course, I wanted to lead with Tiny, and then Ki insisted on being his runner-up. As for my third Pokemon, that would probably remain to be determined. Marie was at a rather obvious disadvantage against Fighting-types, so it was between Princess and Blitz. Overall, Princess was the stronger of the two in terms if raw power, since she was evolved and all. On the other hand, she could likely complain about the Gym smelling sweaty or something and refusing to battle as a result. Unlikely, but I wouldn't be surprised if it happened.

I walked up to the entrance of the Gym, the only one of my Pokemon accompanying me being Marie in her human form. I figured having all five of my Pokemon with me would be a bit of a crowd, so I decided to just have Marie out to translate for me, and then I'd just have Ki or Tiny out if the other was battling. Otherwise, I'd keep my peanut gallery to a minimum from here on out, which was a real shame, honestly. I liked having my whole family out and around me.

"Ready, sis?" I asked the Zoroark-girl. It was in this moment that I realized the purple highlights she had in her hair in her human form - as well as the purple and black motif to her clothes - fit much better now that it was the same color in her regular Zoroark form. Did she anticipate her evolved color scheme when she chose this form, I wondered?

Marie chuckled. "You talk like I'm gonna be battling," she said to me. "That said, I'm sure everyone else is ready."

I looked down at her with a smile, a silent expression that was all she needed to hear "thank you." I then opened the doors to the gym, and we both went inside.

Once inside, I was unsurprised to be met with the sight of a human training gym, with a number of barbells, exercise equipment, and punching bags, to name a few of the things I saw, strewn about the massive interior. The floors were a perfectly polished hardwood, to the point where any human or Pokemon could drag bare feet across the ground and not have the slightest worry about splinters. There were a number of mirrors along the walls as well, which was something I never quite got about these kinds of gyms. Maybe meat heads were just so egotistical that they just HAD to watch themselves lift? I dunno, that was just my thought on the matter.

In the middle of the sea of exercise equipment, however, was the main reason I was there: the battle arena. It was completely devoid of any sort of equipment or debris, and was arguably better-kept than any other individual area of the Gym.

I looked around for a moment, noticing that the Gym was relatively empty. The only other occupants were a little girl towards the back going ham on a punching bag, accompanied by a Lucario doing the same thing to another punching bag next to her. It might've been my imagination, but it almost looked like their movements were synchronised, even up to when they both seemed to finish their volley if punches and kicks with a pair of Aura Spheres that sent their bags flying in my direction. Fortunately, they fell and skidded to a stop fight at my feet, a little bit of smoke coming off of them. I didn't flinch, but Marie jumped and hit behind me.

"You must be a challenger," the girl called to me as she and her Lucario approached us, stretching her arm a bit and shaking her hand off. "At least, that's the vibe I get from you, considering how unfazed you were by that punching bag flying towards you."

I nodded. "My name is Marcus Lyre of Jubilife City," I replied. "This is my sister, Marie. She's just here for support, though. She's not battling today."

The girl nodded and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Marcus Lyre," she said. "If you're a challenger, you may be pleased to know that I'm Maylene, this Gym's Leader."

As we talked, I noticed Maylene's Lucario eyeing Marie intensely. I thought nothing of this at the time, however.

(***)

There weren't any particularly important words exchanged after that, and next thing I knew, it was battle time. On one side of the arena, myself and Marie, and on the other end, Maylene and Lucario. Seems we both rather enjoyed having an extra companion by our side as we battled.

As the referee prattled off the usual, I pulled out Tiny's and Ki's Pokeballs, releasing them both at my side. "Y'all ready for this?" I asked them.

"I wanna go out first!" Tiny cheered. "I feel super duper ready for this battle!"

I could tell Ki was still worried, and as tired of it as I was getting, I could still understand to an extent. Even then, however, she masqueraded this well with a determined expression. "Let's do this, Marcus." She then turned around to Tiny. "Good luck, and please, be careful. Don't forget that you can roll to dodge attacks. And you can also-"

"Ki, calm down," Marie interrupted in the middle of her translation. "Tiny's in good hands. Just trust Marcus to keep him safe, alright?"

Ki let out a sigh. "Okay..." she muttered.

"...Is the challenger ready?" I heard the referee say. I turned from my Pokemon and gave a nod.

"Alright, Tiny, time for action!" I said. With a cheer, Tiny rushed forward and got ready for battle. It was here that I saw who Maylene sent out to be Tiny's opponent. A Meditite. It could've been worse. Tiny could've had to have faced that Lucario and been at a severe type disadvantage. Fortunately, being a Fairy-type, he could take at least a little bit of a beating from a regular Fighting-type before I'd have to call him back. That Psychic side could be a bit tricky, however...

"I can see you're here for training as well," Maylene commented. "Well, I hope your Togepi is ready for the workout of his life! Show 'em what he's gotta know, Meditite!" She accentuated this by moving her arms out and to her sides, elbows bent upwards and her hands facing the same way.

"Time to bring the pain!" Meditite called as she made a movement that mimicked her trainer's almost perfectly.

"If both trainers are ready..." the referee started, "then let the battle... BEGIN!"

"Tiny, start the battle with Charm!" I called.

"Nice try!" Maylene replied quickly. "Meditite, stop that Togepi with Fake Out!" She made this call while clapping her hands together forcefully in front of her.

"Fake Out, ready!" Meditite repeated before advancing on Tiny with alarming speed, then clasping her hands together around Tiny's head, hitting him on either side, causing him to stumble backwards and fall flat on his... actually, he more so fell round on his rear.

"Crap!" Ki called. She said more, and I could guess what she was saying, but Marie stopped translating there.

"Let Marcus focus, Ki," Marie said to the Leafeon. "That was just the opening."

Indeed, I had to focus. That Fake Out made Tiny flinch real bad, so he'd be wide open for Meditite's next attack. I clenched my fist, realizing there was nothing I could do until Tiny roused himself.

"Take your chance, Meditite, and use Rock Tomb!" Maylene called, waving her right arm in a wide arc in front of her from left to right.

"Rock Tomb!" Meditite repeated as she made yet another movement identical to her trainer's, only with Meditite, her eyes started glowing blue, and several large boulders were generated from what seemed like nothingness and fired at Tiny.

"Tiny!" I called. "Get up and dodge quick!"

Despite having flinched, I could see Tiny make an effort to move, but he was too slow, and the rocks started hitting the ground around him. The first one landed in front of him, the force with with which it shook the ground causing Tiny to roll backwards, where a second rock had impacted. Tiny bounced off of this rock, and kept rolling into more rocks in similar fashion. I felt bad for him, but all the same, I couldn't help but hear pinball machine noises in my head each time Tiny hit a conveniently placed rock.

Suddenly, thinking of a pinball machine gave me an idea. If I could time my call just right... "Tiny, when I give the signal, throw your feet out in front of you... NOW!"

By miracle, Tiny heard my call, and his momentum, positioning, movement, and timing all correlated into a rolling leap aimed right at Meditite. She was caught completely off guard by this, and suffered a face full of Togepi, causing her to fall backwards while Tiny ricocheted opposite and up.

"It's not over yet!" I continued. "Use Metronome!"

Tiny quickly righted himself in midair and started waggling his arm. After a few shakes, it glowed briefly before taking on a sinister translucent dark purple. "Shadow Claw!" Tiny called as he landed back on the ground, then leaped forward toward Meditite, his now shadowy arm growing into a large talon. Once Tiny was in range, he swung his attack, the Shadow Claw appearing to tear right through Meditite, knocking her further back.

"Ooh, that looked nasty..." Maylene mused. "But don't think we'll go down that easily!" With a decisive punching motion, she called, "Drain Punch!"

"Drain Punch!" Meditite repeated again before leaping toward Tiny with her fist drawn back, beginning to glow orange.

The attack was coming too fast for Tiny to dodge, I realized. "Tiny, guard!" I called, not seeing another option that would work in time.

Reacting quickly, Tiny curled himself into an almost perfect sphere, just before Meditite's attack hit. In a split second, I could see the effect of the drain punch, some kind of energy falling out of Tiny and into Meditite. In the next split second, however, I saw Tiny get knocked back with powerful force, bouncing like a rubber ball off the ground and towards me. I tried to get myself ready to catch him, but it was Ki who reacted faster, leaping up and catching her son with her whole body. The momentum from her jump carried them both just past me, and they both fell to the ground.

Ki was the first to get up. "Tiny, are you alright?" she asked as Tiny uncurled himself.

"I'm fine, Mamma," he replied. "Now let me get back in there! I'm not done!" He then tried to rush back into the arena, but I stopped him.

"I'm actually going to switch you out for now, Tiny," I said to him. "You might have the type advantage, but you're getting tossed around like a pinball. I have to concede you can't last forever like this, so I'm gonna let Ki finish this battle for you."

Tiny grumbled a bit, but nodded. "Okay..." he muttered as he took his spot next to me, opposite where Marie was standing.

Meanwhile, Ki made her way into the arena. "You just made the mistake of messing with a mother's child, friend," she growled at Meditite with a smile. "Sorry in advance if this gets rough."

"With the substitution complete, let the battle resume!" the referee called.

"Meditite, use Drain Punch again!" Maylene called with the same movement as before.

"Ki, keep your distance with Energy Ball!" I called in retaliation as Meditite rushed forward. Ki responded quickly by generating and firing an Energy Ball from her mouth. The glowing green sphere barreled towards Meditite, but contrary to my expectations, she punched right through the Energy Ball, causing a slight bit of resistance before the attack exploded, leaving Meditite as she continued to follow through with her attack, quickly hitting Ki square in the face and knocking her backwards a bit. Just like with Tiny, I saw some kind of energy leak out of Ki and flow into Meditite. I had it figured out by this point. Drain Punch, as its name suggested, was a punch that drained energy from the target. That definitely spelled trouble if it got out of hand. I'd been lucky these last two times. Tiny resisted the attack, and Ki's Energy Ball weakened the attack she took, but if Meditite got a real solid hit in, she'd be completely recovered from Tiny's Shadow Claw.

Ki got back to her feet and looked back at me with a determined nod. "What's next?" she asked me.

I smiled. "Change in tactics," I replied. "Get in close with Leaf Blade!"

Ki nodded and rushed forward, the leaf on her head glowing bright green. Meanwhile, Maylene made her call. "Cut that Leafeon's path off with Rock Tomb!" she called with a wave of her arm.

As Meditite unleashed her attack, I took the chance to make another call. "Ki, don't try to dodge those rocks. Use your Leaf Blade to cut through!"

I honestly couldn't tell if Ki questioned my call at all internally, but if she did, she didn't show the slightest hesitation as she leapt at the incoming rocks Meditite was firing, slicing through them as she ran. Not all of them gave easily, and few of them were cut cleanly, but the ones that were simply knocked away, Ki managed to launch right back at Meditite. Meditite managed to dodge the incoming rocks, but this left her wide open and unable to defend against Ki's Leaf Blade. The attack impacted with a flourish of green particles of energy - a critical hit! - and Meditite was launched several meters backwards into the ground.

"You're not done!" Ki shouted. "Energy Ball!" Without waiting for any instruction from me, Ki reared her head back, readied an Energy Ball, and fired it right at Meditite, who was still in the process of getting up from the Leaf Blade, but couldn't even stand before the Energy Ball impacted, generating a powerful explosion.

As Ki relaxed her stance, I couldn't help but suck my teeth a bit. "You don't think that might've been a little excessive, Ki...?" I asked.

"Tch," Ki replied. "Don't take me for some kind of monster, Marcus."

As Ki said this, the smoke began to clear, and it was easy to see Meditite was on one knee, panting. I looked a little lower, and the last bits of smoke were coming from a spot on the ground just in front of Meditite. Ki didn't aim directly for her.

"Had that hit me... I'd've be in the Pokemon Center for a while..." Meditite said as she stared at the spot in front of her where Ki's attack hit. She then did something I didn't expect. She got up, closed her right hand into a fist, opened her left and pointed her digits upwards, then brought both hands together before bowing in Ki's direction. "I don't like doing this, but acknowledging strength and forfeiting is a better deal to me if I can minimize the training time I miss to recovery." She then looked up at Ki and smiled. "You've got a good heart. Has it been damaged, perhaps?"

"Meditite chooses to forfeit," Maylene said. "Your Leafeon seems to have impressed her." She then pulled out Meditite's Pokeball and returned her. "But I assure you... my next Pokemon isn't so easily won over!" She then pulled a second Pokeball out and threw it forth. "Show your stuff, Machoke!"

As soon as Maylene said this, the Pokeball she threw burst open, and the hulking form of a Machoke descended in front Ki. He looked down upon her with a solid stance, flexing his muscles a bit for intimidation. "Aww, a cute little thing like you is gonna be my opponent?" he taunted. "Don't expect me to go easy on you just because of that."

"Machoke, start off with Focus Energy!" Maylene called while assuming a sturdy stance with her legs about double shoulder width apart, and her arms held out, bent at the elbows, and firsts clenched, pointing upwards.

"Time to get serious," Machoke said with a grin as he assumed a similar stance, beginning to glow slightly orange as energy rose up from the ground around him.

"Crap, that's bad..." I said to myself. I knew Focus Energy was going to buff Machoke's odds of landing a critical hit, and that spelled serious trouble for Ki. On the other hand, she had one chance to get a free hit in right here, and potentially even somewhat mitigate Machoke's overall advantage somewhat. "Ki, while he's open, use Leaf Blade!"

Ki nodded and leapt forward, rearing her head back and readying the leaf on her head, then swinging it with a mighty call. However, at the last moment, Machoke brought his arms up and blocked the attack.

"Too late," Machoke said with a grin. From the angle I had, I could see a degree of fear on Ki's face.

"Alright, Machoke, use Karate Chop!" was Maylene's next call, the accompanying movement being her bringing her hand down, fingers out in a blade esque shape.

"Time to say goodbye!" Machoke called as he reared his hand up. I tried to call for Ki to dodge, but Machoke's movement was too fast, and his Karate Chop impacted with enough force to send Ki flying backwards towards me, a powerful gust of wind also originating from the point of impact - an evident critical hit even without the burgundy particles of energy that were also generated at the point of impact.

Ki had already taken damage from Meditite - both from the Drain Punch she took, and the Rock Tomb I had her parry, which no doubt left at least a little bit of damage - so it didn't surprise me when she tried to get back up, and quickly fell back down, her legs unable to sustain her.

I was about to run out to pick Ki back up, but surprisingly enough, she took another shot at getting up. However, she fell even faster this time, on her face, no less. I took this as my cue to run in and hold her. "Ki, you're too beat to continue," I said to her softly as both Marie and Tiny joined me.

"I... know..." she said to me, looking up at me with a frown. "But... I can't accept that I wasn't strong enough to keep Tiny from facing that Machoke." I raised an eyebrow. "I knew from when he used Focus Energy that he would be nothing but trouble." It was at this point that Tiny walked up to Ki and hugged her.

"Thank you, Mamma," he said with a smile. "I promise, I'm gonna do my very best for you!"

Ki hugged Tiny back, and then started crying, outside of her son's perception. In that moment, I think I realized the larger implications of what had just happened from Ki's perspective. In her mind, if she couldn't stand between Tiny and that Machoke, what could she have done when Vale came after him?

"You're both wrong," I said after a moment's pause. "Ki, it doesn't matter if you're not strong enough to keep him out of harm's way. Remember, not only are you no longer the only one who has to protect him, but this also means he gets a chance to show you whether he can take care of himself. And Tiny..." I turned to face him with a smile and rubbed his head gently. "...Don't forget that you've got me right behind you. I'll keep you on your feet."

I saw Ki smile softly, and even manage to rise to her knees, but it was Tiny's reaction that I really took notice of. He was smiling broadly, and he was radiating a positive energy that I sorta knew he was capable of, but I'd never felt it quite like this before. He then started glowing, and I realized what was happening. I pulled my hand back, and Ki was able to take a few steps away as the glow around Tiny intensified. I could still barely make out his silhouette despite the blinding light, and I could see his form change. His hands and feet became slightly more defined, his neck grew longer, and and small wings began to protrude out of his back. He also rose about a meter off the ground. There was one last burst of light, followed by a small shockwave of wind, before he stopped glowing. Now that Tiny wasn't emitting a blinding light, it was easy to see what had happened: he evolved into a Togetic!

"I don't believe this..." Marie said as she stared at Tiny, who was now looking over his new form, seeming to struggle a bit with the concept of floating rather than standing. (There was one moment when he managed to do a complete front flip on accident, flailing his arms and feet about in an attempt to right himself.)

"You're telling me!" Tiny replied as he righted himself. "Knowing I have so many friends behind me, I just suddenly felt so strong! And now I really am stronger because of you all!" He then turned to me and gave a determined nod. "I'm ready, Marcus. I'll show you just what having all of you at my back does for me!"

I couldn't help but smile back as Tiny said this. This was more than a confidence boost Tiny just had. It almost felt like he was an entirely different Pokemon in more ways than one. I'd heard that many Pokemon underwent personality changes when they evolved, so I guess this shouldn't have surprised me much. "Alright, then let's get you in there, Tiny!" I called. With that, Tiny nodded and entered the battlefield to face Machoke, while Ki took her place laying at my side, opposite Marie, so she could watch.

"You wanna know something?" Maylene asked me as Tiny got ready. "There's a reason a Pokemon who evolves in the middle of a Gym challenge is allowed to continue battling. That reason: an evolution is testament to the bond between Pokemon and trainer. It's the sort of thing that indicates a truly heated round is about to start! At least that's what that Valerie character from Kalos told me once." She then smiled, before throwing a powerful punch into the air. "Machoke, use Strength!"

"Not that I'd hold back before, but now I'm really going all-out!" Machoke called as he rushed forward toward Tiny with thundering footsteps, rearing his hand back and readying his punch.

"Tiny, fly over his head and use Metronome!" I called. Tiny responded by rushing toward towards Machoke, and just when he was in range, Machoke threw his attack. However, Tiny deftly dodged over this attack. In a move that seemed to play out in slow motion, Tiny did a front flip over Machoke's head while wagging his glowing finger. All the while, neither one broke eye contact until Tiny was behind Machoke.

"Aerial Ace!" Tiny called as he quickly burned around and attacked Machoke with a roundhouse kick delivered with a cyan glowing foot. His attack was too fast for Machoke to react to, and he was knocked forward from the force of Tiny's attack. He didn't fall yet, however.

"C'mon, you can't move faster than that?" Tiny asked with a yawn. "I'm over here with time to Yawn because you move so slow." He then gave a devious grin. It wasn't my plan, but Tiny had just used Yawn on Machoke, and from the fact that Machoke had just yawned back, it worked!

"Smart Togetic, he is," Maylene commented. "But neither of you planned that well! Machoke, use Rock Tomb before you fall asleep!"

"Sweet dreams!" Machoke called as he slammed his fist into the ground, causing several boulders to go flying in Tiny's direction. He tried to dodge to the best of his ability, but he wasn't fast enough to dodge one rock, which stuck him slightly off center and knocked him to the ground, pinning him by his foot.

"Gah!" Tiny shouted in pain as he hit the ground, his foot firmly trapped between the rock and ground. I could tell he wasn't walking again for a while after that. He struggled to pull himself free, but to no avail.

"Machoke, get in close and finish him with Strength!" Maylene called. With Tiny as vulnerable as he was, that Strength was likely to finish him.

Machoke began approaching, but his movements quickly grew sluggish, and right before he got close to Tiny, he stopped and began wobbling.

"Machoke, hang in there!" Maylene called, but it was too late. The slightest breeze could knock him down in this state. In fact...

"Tiny, finish him off with Fairy Wind!" I called.

Tiny nodded and took a deep breath, turning to Machoke as best he could with his foot trapped, and exhaled a cloud of pink, glittery mist that washed over Machoke. It was enough to cause him to topple over backwards, shaking the ground as he landed, and fall asleep.

"Machoke has been rendered unable to battle!" the ref called. "This round goes to Tiny!"

I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief as that call was made, and I heard Ki do the same thing next to me. When I looked up again, I saw that Tiny was still struggling to free himself from the Rock Tomb. "Heh, guess I should give you a hand with that," I called as I pulled his Pokeball out. I then returned Tiny before re-releasing him in front of me. I could see that his foot was pretty messed up - come to think of it, that was unsurprising, considering his new type disadvantage - but since he was floating, that didn't seem to bother him too much.

"Thanks," Tiny said with a smile. He then flew down and hugged Ki. "And thank you for watching, Mamma. I couldn't have done it without knowing you were keeping an eye on me."

Ki was hugging Tiny back and smiling. "A part of me didn't want to believe it, but I knew you could do it," she said. "I'm sorry for doubting you, Tiny."

I couldn't help but smile as Marie translated the exchange for me, and when I looked over, she was smiling too. "Glad I could help you two," I said to myself before turning back to Maylene.

"Quite a story playing out there," she commented. "But just so you know, I still have one Pokemon left." She then turned to her Lucario and smiled. Lucario nodded, and leapt high into the air before landing gracefully on the battlefield, ready for the last round

"Go ahead and sit this one out, Tiny," I said as I pulled out another Pokeball. "I have a more tailored solution for this last fight. Time to strike, Blitz!" I called as I threw Blitz's Pokeball forward. With that, the Ponyta exploded from her Pokeball, and with a powerful cry, she took the battlefield, staring Lucario down. Sure, Tiny's big battle was already done, but the Gym challenge wasn't just yet!


	18. Entry 19: A Thinly-Veiled Threat

I shielded my eyes and started coughing uncontrollably as a huge wave of smoke and dust suddenly blew throughout the gym as a result of Lucario's Force Palm colliding with Blitz's Flame Wheel. Without even realizing it at first, I also dove and tried to shield Marie from the shockwave. In hindsight, I probably should have tried to shield Ki and Tiny since they were injured and more at risk of getting blown away, but my sister came first in that moment. That said, I could hear the cries of Tiny and Ki as they struggled to stay put just below the sound of the wind.

It took a while before the wind died down and a little longer before the smoke finally cleared. I looked up quickly, and was shocked to see both Blitz and Lucario were still standing, staring each other down, but panting heavily, and each evidently injured heavily. There was a heavy stillness to the air in the gym for the longest time. Then, all of a sudden, as if caused by me breathing wrong, I saw the last bits of stamina drain from both Pokemon in a manner that was almost impossible to describe, but it happened, and the next instant, both fell to the ground, Lucario falling forward, and Blitz falling to her side. Both impacted at the exact same time.

"It's a double-KO!" the referee called. "Both Lucario and Blitz are unable to battle. However, since Tiny was withdrawn earlier in the battle without suffering a KO, the battle goes to the challenger, Marcus Lyre!"

"Yes!" I couldn't help but cheer as the call was made. In all honesty, I had forgotten about Tiny in that brief moment when Blitz went down. I ran to Blitz's side, Tiny following close behind, and then followed by Marie, who was carrying Ki. I knelt down to Blitz and gently stroked the side of her face. She looked up and smiled, nuzzling into my hand weakly. "Thank you, Blitz. You did awesome."

"All of you did," I heard Maylene say. I looked up to see her walking toward us, stopping for a moment to help Lucario up, placing his arm around her shoulder and using herself to support him. "I felt a lot of emotion from you and each of your Pokemon in that battle. You've proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that you deserve this." Using her free arm, she reached behind her and pulled out a small open box, within which lay, atop a velvet padding, the Cobble Badge. "Take it, Marcus Lyre. You and your team have earned it."

I smiled and reached up to take the badge, holding it up so that we could all admire it. "Thank you, everyone," I said with a smile. "Tiny, Ki, don't forget this moment. Let it drive you in our next battle."

In response to this, Tiny flew up and hugged my head, closely followed by everyone else leaning in for a group hug.

(***)

Shortly after that, Maylene and I both brought our teams to the Pokemon Center. I took the time in which everyone was getting healed up to catch Princess up on everything that had gone on, to which she replied, "Well, while I'm offended you didn't let me battle... thank you for not subjecting my royal nostrils to that place."

While I was waiting, I was sitting in one of the chairs in the lobby, Princess occupying the seat next to me. She and I spent a little bit of time chatting, but considering the fact that I couldn't understand her without Marie around, we agreed to abandon that plan quickly. My eyes wandered around the Pokemon Center after that. The place wasn't particularly busy - Maylene had left for a bit to check on her Gym - and there wasn't anything of real interest to me. However, when I noticed that a TV was on at the opposite end from where I was sitting, I couldn't help but focus on that. The news was on, apparently, and I was watching for a bit before I registered what was on the screen. It was live footage of the aftermath of an explosion of some sort. It was evidently not the work of a Pokemon, though. There was a hole blown in a building in a city. Suddenly, something clicked, and I looked at the headline on the bottom of the screen.

"BREAKING NEWS: Explosion at Poketch Company"

Without thinking, I got up and ran across the Pokemon Center to get closer to the TV. Once I was closer, I could clearly hear what the reporter was saying.

"...where just hours ago, a bomb went off on the second floor of the Poketch Company in Jubilife City. One human is confirmed dead, and a dozen humans and Pokemon combined had been injured. First responders were able to quickly contain the resulting fire and get immediate medical attention to the injured parties. The Jubilife Police Department has initially identified this as a gas explosion, not the result of a Pokemon's actions, but further investigation will occur. First responders are calling the timing of this explosion lucky, however, as it occurred early in the..."

I stopped listening after that point. One person was dead, and several injured. My mind immediately drifted to just one grim possibility. Turning around, I ran to the public phone, nearly tripping over Princess, who had followed me to see what was going on, without me realizing it. I think I apologized, but I couldn't know for sure. All I was focused on was getting to the phone, and calling my mother. She worked at the Poketch company, so if she was there when that explosion occurred...

I dialed my mom's number, and waited anxiously as the phone rang once, twice... and then, there was an answer!

"Hello?" came a voice that sounded like my mom's, but seemed more distorted than normal.

"Mom!" I said quietly. "Mom, it's me, Marcus. Are you okay?"

"Oh, Marcus! I really needed to hear your voice today," she continued. "Did you hear about what happened to the Poketch Company?"

"I did," I replied, my voice growing shaky. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, you're never going to believe this!" she replied. "I came down with a real bad cold yesterday, and was sent home early. I hadn't recovered yet this morning, so I called in sick for another day today. A little after that, the explosion happened." She then laughed a little, followed by a sneeze. "Guess this will mean I get a little more time off, huh?"

I felt relieved to hear what had happened. My mother was unharmed by a stroke of absolute luck. However, a feeling of dread was still in the back of my mind. "Mom..." I started, "I think you should take a vacation after this. For two weeks at least. You've been working hard, and this happening all of a sudden has to have been stressful for you."

"Oh?" she asked. "Where is this coming from?"

"I've just been out here, exploring Sinnoh, and I... was thinking you should see some of it too," I half-lied. "You getting sick, and that saving you from the explosion, isn't that a sign of something?"

Mom was silent for a moment, likely mulling my words over. I'd lie if I said that brief silence didn't worry me, but she finally spoke up after a bit. "Okay, if it'll make you happy. Where do you think I should go?"

"Oh... you don't have to tell me right now," I replied. "In fact, don't tell me at all! Wouldn't it be such a pleasant surprise if we happened to run into each other? I know I'd enjoy that, and I'm sure Marie would appreciate that too."

"Marcus, are you okay yourself?" she asked. "You don't usually sound like this."

"Oh, no, I'm fine!" I replied. "I'm just worried about your health, is all." I took a deep breath before I continued. "So... you'll take that time off? Promise?"

I could hear her laugh a little on the other end. "Sure, Marcus," she said. "I'll let you know- oh right, you didn't want me to tell you. Well, I guess you'll find me. It'll be like a game of hide and seek, right?"

I forced a chuckle. "Yup! I'll start looking for you soon! ...But now, I have to go. It was great talking to you, Mom. I love you."

"Love you too, sweetie," she replied. "You make sure you take care of yourself now!"

And with that, she hung up.

I put the phone back on its receiver, and just stood there for a moment. I didn't even remove my hand from the phone. The shock was wearing off, and what was happening was starting to settle in. I called it a stroke of luck at first, but I had a nagging suspicion that pointed to another possibility...

"Prin-Prinplup?" I heard behind me. I looked back to see Princess looking at me with concern on her face. I turned around and patted her head gently.

"It's okay, Princess," I said. "It's most likely nothing to worry about... I hope..."

Right as I said this, the phone behind me started to ring. I turned back around and looked at it. I would have paid it little mind were it not for the faint sounds of a Rotom's cry underneath each ring. Cautiously, I picked up the phone, and brought it to my ear.

"Hello?" I answered cautiously.

"If you speak, react, or do anything that might tell someone that something is wrong right now, Ghost Signal, my Rotom underling here, will incapacitate you, then kill every Pokemon going through treatment right now, including yours. You're going to make this seem like a normal phone conversation. If you understand, reply with, 'I'm good, how are you?'"

My breath caught in my throat. I recognized that voice clearly, and him calling at that moment couldn't have been a coincidence. It was Vale.

I glanced over, and saw that no one was looking in my direction. So far, I hadn't garnered any attention. With a gulp, I replied. "I'm good... how are you?"

"Good, good... but not really," Vale replied. "First of all, I sincerely apologize this meeting can't be in person. While you and my son are presently my biggest fish to fry, my effort is better spent elsewhere at the moment. Now say, 'So, got any plans for next week?'"

Begrudgingly, I replied as I was told, though in my head, I was shouting, "Was the incident in Jubilife City your doing, you monster?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" Vale replied in an obviously mocking tone. "You see, I'm rather upset and disappointed with you right now. Not only did you refuse to bring my son back to me as I so politely and desperately asked of you, but a little Chatot told me that he's evolved. Though I suppose that would more aptly be 'a little Rotom.' Now why would you do that to me? I thought we had an understanding, Marcus Lyre. Now ask, 'Should I bring anything?'"

I compiled here, too, though I had a feeling I knew what Vale was setting me up for.

"Now, I could tell you again that I want my son back, but I'm no fool. I know when I'm talking to a brick wall. That said, I'll tell you now that you've rendered my son effectively useless to me by evolving him." I silently breathed a sigh of relief when Vale said that. Ki had achieved part of what she set out to do when she took Tiny. For now, at least, Vale wouldn't be able to get closer to his sinister goal of becoming God with Tiny now a Togetic. "But! But but but. BIG but for you, Marcus Lyre... that also means I'm incredibly angry with you. You don't know how long I'd hunted for a useable Togekiss, and now not only is she indisposed, but her last shreds of usefulness were exhausted after her death, and that was entirely your doing. Do you want to know what I plan on doing to you as a result of this?"

I couldn't help but clench my fist as he finished that question. Nothing he could've threatened could have made me more angry at him than I was now after all he'd already done. "What?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"I'm... going to leave the decision in your hands," Vale finally replied. He said it in such a way that I could practically feel a sinister grin through the phone, and I mean "feel it" like his face was actually pressed up to mine. "You've gotten in my way quite a bit, yet I'm getting the feeling that it's to the point where I shouldn't stress myself over you any longer. As such, I propose this: If you don't bother with me any further, I'll have no reason to retaliate. I won't even pester you for my son or the bitch who kidnapped him." There was an eerie pause, and I was about to speak up before Vale said one last thing that chilled me to the bone. "By the way, how is your mother feeling? I heard she's been a bit under the weather over the past day or so."

Right as he said this, I heard a bizarre noise. Like a crack of thunder, but more high-pitched, right in my ear. Before I knew what was happening. I was on the ground, my ears ringing and my vision exceedingly blurry. I couldn't register what had happened at the time, though I could make out some muffled shouts, a number of shuffling feet, and what felt like rain washing over me.

Then, with Vale's words still ringing in my mind, I blacked out.

(***)

When I finally came to, the first thing I was met with once I opened my eyes was Tiny rushing up and hugging me, saying something I, of course, couldn't understand, but he definitely sounded relieved. I looked around, and saw I was laying in a hospital bed with all my other Pokemon standing around me as well.

"...What happened?" I asked as I held Tiny, who was clinging tight to me.

Marie spoke up. "Princess said you were on the phone with, in her words, a distraught look on your face," she told me. "She was about to ask if you were alright when... you were suddenly attacked. According to her, a Rotom shot out of the phone, into your ear, and out the other, and you fell almost instantly. She tried to attack it, but it got away too fast. While that was happening, Nurse Joy and Chansey rushed over and administered first-aid. Fortunately, that Rotom only rendered you unconscious, but Nurse Joy brought you in just in case."

I rubbed my ear a bit as I processed what Marie had told me. Ghost Signal apparently didn't injure me. My ear felt tender, but I didn't feel any bandages or anything that might've indicated treatment. "How long have I been out?" I asked.

"Just half an hour," Marie replied. "We're still in the Pokemon Center."

I sat up, gently brushing Tiny off of me. "Tiny, can I get you to do me a favor and go find Nurse Joy for me?" I asked him. "Just tell her I'm feeling well now and that I think we can move on."

"Tic!" Tiny cheered before flying out of the room.

I took a heavy sigh and looked up at my remaining Pokemon. "That shouldn't take him long, so I'll be quick," I said. With a firm tone, I started, "This was Vale's doing."

I quickly recounted what Vale said to me over the phone and the events that had led up to his call. I could see visible anger on Ki's face, and everyone else was similarly distraught.

After a brief pause, I continued. "I wanted to teach Tiny Fly so that we could all go back to Jubilife City and visit for a bit before going on to Canalave City, but... I think it would be best if we stayed away for a bit. We're heading for Pastoria City next. Vale might have a trap in place for us there, too, but I'm not gonna let him intimidate us into giving up altogether."

My Pokemon gave a collective nod of agreement before the door opened, Nurse Joy and Chansey entering, with Tiny behind them.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Lyre?" Nurse Joy asked me.

I chuckled and rubbed my head. "Like I just took a Thundershock from a Pikachu," I replied. "Other than that, though, I don't think that Rotom intended to hurt me much. I'd say I'm good to go." I emphasized this by turning and hopping out of the bed and onto my feet. It occurred to me that there would be some seriously sour irony if I immediately lost my balance and fell flat on my face once I did this. Thankfully, however, this was not the case. That Rotom left me 100% okay. I wasn't sure if I should be glad or unsettled because of that, though...

Despite how unsettling the situation may have been, we needed to press on. I thanked Nurse Joy, returned everyone, and headed on my way to Pastoria City. I was almost certain Vale would have some new obstacle waiting for me there, but I'd already crossed clearly-drawn lines. There was no turning back.


	19. Entry 20: A Self-Reflection

A few hours had passed since we left the Veilstone Pokemon Center. The road to Pastoria City was short, so even if we did some training on the way, we'd be there before sundown. Granted, that didn't count the time it would take to have dinner at a restaurant near Lake Valor that I'd heard about... but I honestly didn't feel like eating at the time.

Instead, I found myself sitting at the edge of Lake Valor for a bit, looking out over the crystal blue water and reflecting on what had happened that morning. I didn't have anyone out with me at the time. I thought it'd be too much of a risk, now that Vale had a definite lock on us.

Amid the soft breeze and gently rolling waves, I found myself thinking out loud. "Vale is dangerous," I reflected. "I knew this already, but after today... I don't think I really appreciated his real power until now. He's a real monster..."

"Then what's the plan going forward?" I asked myself. "What's this new knowledge going to affect?"

I mulled over this question for a bit before letting myself fall back onto the grass, staring up at the sky. A few clouds and Flying-type Pokemon were passing overhead, and the sun was just out of my field of vision with how late into the afternoon it was. "I don't know..." I replied. "From the start, this journey was mostly for Marie and I, so we could visit Shawn and Bonnie at long last. Vale, Ki, Tiny... they just showed up out of nowhere." I sighed. "At first I was more than happy to help Ki out of that Daycare, but this is starting to become a little too real than I was prepared for..."

"You only half answered the question," I said back. "So we've established that this chaos with Vale is starting to get to you a bit, huh? What'll you do about it? Give up?"

I looked over to the side and ran my hand through the grass idly. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Abandon Ki and Tiny somewhere, and go on with my life, or quit my journey altogether and go into hiding?"

"Well, which one of those sounds more appealing?"

I clenched my fists and sat up, suddenly filled with an indescribable feeling. "Neither of them!" I shouted. Almost like magic, the entire conversation I just had came crashing through my mind all at once. As though, despite clearly talking it out, the whole thing happened all in an instant. It was a weird sensation. Like an epiphany, but more drawn out and surreal. I rubbed my head and looked around me. The conversation I thought I had, I knew it was with myself, but it felt so much like I was talking to someone...

As I looked around, i noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I couldn't tell what exactly it was, but I definitely saw movement. It wasn't a shadow of something, it was more like... glass? And it was moving quickly, whatever it was. I could barely keep track of it, but I could tell it was making a beeline for the water. And once it got to the water's edge, I heard a soft splash, and it was gone. I got up and ran to the water, but there was no hope of finding whatever that thing was if it had dived. Although, once I got to the water's edge myself, I could have sworn I heard a faint sound, like a little girl giggling.

"The hell was that...?" I asked out loud. I sat back down on the ground, looking out over the water, my gaze concentrated on where I had lost track of that thing. I came to the conclusion that it had to be a Pokemon of some kind, yet I didn't know of any Pokemon that could do anything I'd just seen this thing do.

I shook my head, eventually dismissing the phenomenon as some kind of illusion produced by an exhausted mind. Maybe I was just hungry. It had only just then occurred to me that I never stopped for lunch, so maybe a dinner at this restaurant nearby wasn't such a bad idea after all. Besides, if I was hungry, then surely my team - Blitz, especially - was starving.

(***)

So... come to find out, the restaurant I was thinking of was part of a hotel, where an overly charismatic receptionist managed to sucker me into a room for the night. Quite a large sum of money out of my pocket, but after the chaos of today, I guess a chance to relax in a fancy hotel would've done us some good.

There was a respectable platter of fancy food set out in front of us once we sat down for dinner, and my Pokemon were more than happy to dig in, but I wound up not eating much. I had too much on my mind between Vale's call and whatever happened at the lake.

"You alright, Marcus?" I heard Marie ask. I turned to see that she was looking quizzically at me, half a Slowpoke Tail still in her hand. "You've barely touched your food."

I chuckled a little. "Ah, I'm just thinking," I replied.

Just then, I heard someone come up behind me. "Had an interesting day today, young man?" The person asked. I turned around to see that we had been approached by an elderly man. "Why, you're eating like you've seen a ghost."

"What... gives you that impression?" I asked, more than a little suspicious of this man's intentions.

The old man chuckled a little before pulling up a seat from the table nearest me and sitting down. "There's a legend about Lake Valor, you know," he started. "And I'll be a Primeape's uncle if that legend isn't true. Lake Valor, like the other two lakes of Sinnoh, is watched over by a spirit. A mythical Pokemon called Azelf, who embodies the trait of willpower. It's said she approaches those who come to Lake Valor with uneasiness in their hearts, and seeks to help them find the strength to press on. Most people call her a spirit simply because of how seldom she's actually seen, but I promise, if you thought you saw or felt something today, it was Azelf. The same is said about Lakes Verity and Acuity, too, each guarded by another Pokemon similar to her. Mesprit, the embodiment of emotion, and Uxie, the embodiment of knowledge. If you still feel lost, a trip around Sinnoh to meet all three of 'em might do ya some good."

By the time the old man was done speaking, I noticed that the rest of my Pokemon had stopped eating and were listening to his story just as intently as I was. After a short pause, the man got up and put back the chair he took. "Heh, sorry to bother you, young man. Sometimes an old timer like myself just needs the chance to ramble from time to time. Enjoy the rest of your evening, sonny." With that, he walked off, leaving me to mull over what he had said. So that whole experience I had earlier really was a Pokemon's handiwork. On the bright side, hearing that bit of explanation did bring my appetite back, so I was at least able to eat as I thought for once.

Once we had finished eating, the waiter came by with the check. I gave him the money, and then it was just a matter of him coming back with the receipt. In that short time we were waiting, I found myself looking around at the various people in the restaurant. Some were dressed in beachwear - unsurprising, considering the hotel was actually on a beach - and some were dressed a little more modestly. Some had their Pokemon with them, and some didn't. Still, some of them seemed like they were watching me, although not in a way where they were coldly and unflinchingly staring at me from across the restaurant. Whoever was watching me was being careful about it, to the point where I couldn't make out exactly who it was. It could've simply been that I was being paranoid, but could I really have been blamed for it considering the day I'd had?

Once the waiter came back and my payment was done, I returned everyone and headed to our room. Only way out, someone accidentally bumped into my shoulder. I turned around to look at him, and he did the same to me. He seemed like a trainer, just a year older than me, with shaggy blonde hair partially contained by a black cap with a white brim, a white lightning bolt design on the front. Despite being at a beachfront hotel, he wore a blue denim jacket, and a dark green shirt that was blank, coupled with grey slacks and black tennis shoes. I lowered my guard a bit as I noticed this guy seemed rather awkward, and I'd have believed that he bumped into me on accident.

"Crap, sorry 'bout that," he said to me while rubbing the back of his head. I noticed he had a strange accent to him. I couldn't describe the accent exactly, though for some reason, that alone gave me the impression he owned a Mudbray. How, exactly, I deduced that was another mystery. "Ah gotta learn ta stop lookin' at my feet as Ah walk."

I chuckled a little. "Heh, don't sweat it," I said. "Just be careful. You never know when you'll tick the wrong person off, trust me."

He gave a sheepish smile and nodded. "Thanks, stranger," he said. Then with a wave, he turned and walked off. "Have a good'un!"

I scratched my head as I considered the bizarre encounter. Just then, a thought occurred to me. I quickly reached down to my belt, only to find... phew. All five of my Pokeballs were secure. He didn't steal anyone when he bumped into me like I thought he might have. Just to be sure, I reached down and felt each individual Pokeball. Call it a trainer's instinct, but just from the touch, I could tell that everyone was where they belonged, and none of the Pokeballs got swapped for empties.

I breathed a sigh of relief and shook my head, laughing the encounter off a bit. "It's been a long day," I lamented before turning around and continuing on my way to the room.

(***)

Once in my room, I made it a point to take a shower. It wasn't until I got under the warm running water that I hadn't had a proper shower in ages. Yeah, they had showers in the Pokemon Centers I stayed at, but those were cramped and you had to work quickly because there was always someone waiting behind you. This one that the hotel had, though, was nothing like that. Nice and roomy, and no one to rush me. I had all the time in the world to let the water flow over me. It felt nice, which was the first time I was able to say that in a while.

Once I felt I was clean enough, I stepped out, dried off, and immediately fell onto the bed. It was so soft and comforting... a far cry from what I was feeling inside at that moment. All the dangers I felt could be lurking, just waiting to get at us... the dark shadow that Vale now cast over our journey... it was almost as though this night at the hotel would be the last safe night I could have.

I rolled over onto my back, and then looked over to the nightstand, where I had my belt, Pokeballs still clipped on. I didn't have anyone out with me at that moment... mostly because I was feeling too lazy after that shower to even get dressed, and I highly doubted any of my Pokemon would've even wanted to be out at this particular moment. I suppose it could be argued that they should get to enjoy the room along with me for the night, but... five minutes to myself like this. That was all I asked.

As I lazed about on the bed, I thought about my encounter with Azelf. It did occur to me that I had a lot less doubt in my mind overall now than I did before I visited Lake Valor. That conversation I had with... would i call it a conversation with myself? Or with Azelf? Either way, it really helped to sort out my thoughts. I definitely got some kind of renewed vigor from the encounter. Whether I needed a similar encounter with Uxie and Mesprit... I honestly doubted. I didn't need to learn something, and I wasn't an emotional wreck quite yet. I think the confidence boost was all I needed to keep going, and I wondered if my Pokemon could feel a similar way.

After some more idle thinking, I decided my five minutes were up. With a chuckle, I got dressed, then let the gang out so we could all relax together. Unsurprisingly, the end result of this action was all six of us snuggling up together on the same bed before going to sleep like that. I, personally, wouldn't have had it any other way. It made me feel good, to have a group of Pokemon who truly felt enough like my family for us to be able to do something like this. Aw, I shouldn't phrase it like that. That implies they could possibly be anything less than family. Still, I think my feelings were clear. These five, they really were my family, just the same as they were to each other, and I knew in my heart... that we were all willing to protect each other as family would.


	20. Entry 21: The Other Side of the Veil

Marcus definitely wasn't quite himself after we'd left Veilstone City, mainly evidenced by how none of us were out walking with him for the longest time. I mean, I could hardly blame him. His family was put directly in harm's way by Vale. I could imagine he'd wanna be extra careful. Then again, that in itself wasn't what I was concerned with. What I was concerned with was the fact that he forgot about lunch altogether, so on top of how much I ate because I was starving, I made sure to eat just a little bit extra to get him back for that. Ah, what was I talking about again...? Oh right, Marcus.

I dunno how his attitude shifted after yesterday, but he was filled with a new sort of life that morning when we set out. He let me out to walk alongside him on the last stretch of beach toward Pastoria City, and our fifth Gym battle. Oddly enough, I was the only one out with him, and I found it even more strange considering I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the beach as much as anyone else might've, being a Fire-type and all. Off the top of my head, at least Tiny would've enjoyed the beach, still kinda being a hatchling and all. I guess he didn't wanna risk letting us stop to play on the beach with Vale hot on our heels, nor having two Pokemon walking with him at once anymore.

It wasn't going to be a very long walk along the beach, so I figured I'd enjoy the time with Marcus as much as I could. The salty breeze coming off of the ocean was a pleasant feeling I'd never before experienced. The smell was wonderful, and the wind itself blowing through my fiery mane evoked an odd feeling of what I'd have described as flying through clouds. The sand beneath my hooves was particularly weird. It had only a slight amount of give with each step I took compared to the mud I would sometimes trudge through after it rained back home, where I'd have to struggle to unstick myself with each step. There was also a slight crunch to each step, almost like walking on dry leaves, but a lot softer. To cap everything off was the rhythmic sounds of the tide as it continuously crashed against and receded away from the shore, often permeated by the cries of Wingull or the cheers of human children playing elsewhere on the beach.

I hadn't realized how much I was losing myself in the experiences of the beach until Marcus stopped walking and held his arm out in front of me. I looked up at him curiously, and he was staring ahead intensely. I looked forward, and there was a man dressed in a black cloak and a similar black beret. He was turned slightly away from us, shooting Marcus an intimidating sideways glare. I couldn't see his arms, though they were most likely hidden within the cloak.

"You don't exactly look ready to swim," Marcus called to the mysterious man. "And someone probably didn't relay how sunny it would be today. You should head back to the hotel and change before you get heat stroke."

The man silently stared at Marcus for a while before letting out a sigh, an odd powder emitting from where his cloak opened up. I recognized this immediately as snow generated by an Ice-type Pokemon. If the man had one under his cloak, that would explain why he wasn't collapsing from the heat. He then reached one of his arms out of his cloak, revealing that he was holding a Pokeball, and aimed it at Marcus.

"You aren't exactly fitting the 'romantic walk on the beach' motif yourself, Marcus Lyre" the man replied in a low-pitched voice.

I struck a battle ready stance as soon as I saw the Pokeball. This man wanted to battle Marcus, I was sure of it. "Well, I see my reputation precedes me," Marcus replied. I glanced up at him, and saw he was ready for battle as well. "To whom do I owe the honor?"

The man scoffed and adjusted his beret up slightly, his movement releasing another puff of snow. "My name is Dimitri," he replied. "Not that it will matter much to you."

Right as Dimitri said this, the ground beneath Marcus and I suddenly gave way. I yelped and tried to leap out of the way, but my hooves got stuck in the sand. Before I had even realized what happened, Marcus and I both were in the middle of a pitfall that was at least two feet above his head, both of our bodies halfway encased in sand, and it all somehow happened in the blink of an eye! This was an especially dangerous spot for me because I felt my tail being smothered out, which caused me to immediately feel nauseous and dizzy. That fire was my life force, as was the case with most other Fire-type Pokemon. As long as my mane kept burning, I would be able to walk away from this, but if I got completely buried, it would be lights out in an instant...

I did my best to shake these thoughts out of my head as I tried to take stock of the situation. My front half was still above the sand, so I could move my forelegs freely, but my hind legs were immobilized. Marcus wasn't faring much better. He was up to his stomach in sand, which meant he wouldn't be able to reach his belt to let out any of the others to help. He was already trying to dig his way out, but the sand around us had turned unusually hard all of a sudden, so he wasn't making a dent.

I heard a deep and sinister laughter above where we were, and looked up to see Dimitri looking down on us, a Palossand appearing next to him, and the Pokeball he had before still held in his single revealed hand. "Hmph. I was kind of hoping you'd be able to escape from that trap so we could battle," Dimitri mused. "It seems Vale talked you up for nothing."

"Vale?" Marcus repeated, his fists clenching. "You mean he sent you after me?"

Dimitri nodded before tossing his Pokeball to the ground opposite of where his Palossand was, releasing a Clawitzer. "He's paying quite the price for whoever can bring you and your team back alive," Dimitri continued. He then snapped his fingers, and his Clawitzer took that as a cue to aim its claw right at us and begin charging an attack. "But, he also assured me that my Palossand could make a meal out of you and your team should I feel like allowing it."

Marcus looked down and unclenched his fists with a sigh. For a brief moment, I thought we were defeated, but then Marcus did something I probably should've expected him to do in the first place. He started chuckling. "So that's it, huh?" he asked before looking back up at Dimitri with a grin. "You got your Palossand to bury us, you've got a Clawitzer aimed at us in case we try anything funny, and no matter what we do, we're probably gonna wind up eaten by your first Pokemon anyway. You really have no sense of showmanship, do you?"

"Excuse me?" Dimitri asked, anger prevalent in his voice. Additionally, I could feel myself sink just a little lower, and the same thing happened to Marcus. "I don't exactly think you're in a position to talk. I defeated you in a matter of seconds, Marcus Lyre."

"Yeah, but at what cost?" Marcus continued. "Bad guys usually have, at the very least, a lot more banter before they even fight the good guy, let alone trap and defeat him in one fell swoop. How about a little, 'I can defeat you in four seconds flat'? Or, 'I am the darkness that will devour the light of your life' or something like that? Heck, forget the banter! You've got your Palossand and your Clawitzer, why can't we just go straight to the battle? It's a time-honored tradition among us trainers, y'know. There's no need for sneaky and underhanded plays like burying Blitz and I, or like taking out your Palossand and Clawitzer with a Night Slash and Leaf Blade from behind respectively."

Right as Marcus said this, I heard the cries of two Pokemon as attacks of the same names he described hit both Palossand and Clawitzer from behind. Palossand melted into the sand, and Clawitzer fell and tumbled down the sand pit next to us. I was confused at first as to what had happened, but when I looked up, I could just barely see Marie and Ki standing on either side of Dimitri, essentially surrounding him.

"What just happened?" I asked as Marcus wiggled his way free of the sand pit. Apparently, with Palossand fainted, it no longer had a grip on us, and the sand was back to being... well, regular sand. Once Marcus was all the way out, he grabbed my forelegs and helped pull me out as well. It was a bit of a struggle to climb out, but as soon as I was free, it felt like I could breathe again after being suffocated. Granted, that's pretty close to what had happened. Instinctively, I relit my flaming tail, and it felt like a rush of life coursed through me all at once. Of course, this was actually just me coming back to normal after practically half-dying, but it felt good nonetheless.

Marcus chuckled and reached down to unclip a Pokeball from his belt, releasing Tiny. He looked up at the Togetic with an almost resolute smile, a nice compliment to the innocent cheer Tiny always wore. "Tiny, you can fly us out of here, right?" Marcus asked.

"Only one at a time," Tiny replied with a shake of his head. Marie translated the Togetic's words, and Marcus chuckled.

"That's alright," he said. "Just pull Blitz out first, then."

Tiny nodded before flying down in front of me and grabbing one of my forelegs before starting to drag me up out of the pit. As he pulled me up, I tried to climb a little myself with my hind legs, trying to push up against the walls of the sandpit. The sand constantly gave way beneath my hooves, so I most likely would've made slow progress if any at all were it not for Tiny pulling me along as well.

"And while Tiny's working his magic," Marcus continued, "I think I owe you an explanation, Dimitri." I could see Marcus chuckle and flip the brim of his cap up a little. Was that a new move he recently adopted? "You see, I normally walk with two Pokemon on either side of me, that way I have more options should situations like this one arise. Today was no different, though. However, you only saw me with Blitz, right? So there was no way I could've had that counter-trap set up with my Zoroark and Leafeon, right? Well, half-right. Marie over there is the Illusion Pokemon, of course, so following us without being seen by anyone else is hatchling's play for her. She was with us the whole time, and the second your Palossand attacked, she grabbed one of the Pokeballs off of my belt and bolted out of harm's way. Honestly, I'm pretty lucky she grabbed Ki, or your Clawitzer would've been a bit of a problem. Not to mention, calling a Leaf Blade from someone who didn't know it would've been awkward."

"Bastard..." Dimitri growled, not daring to move with both Marie and Ki trained on him. "But what makes you think I'm done?" He then opened his coat wide, revealing a Vanillite. "Vanillite, use-!"

"Not so fast!" I shouted. I was just a few inches away from the mouth of the sandpit at that point, so I gave one last leap upward - inadvertently knocking Tiny back down without realizing it - and shooting an Ember directly at his Vanillite, knocking it away from Dimitri. It hit the sand with a soft 'pomf' and didn't seem like it would be getting up easily. I then looked back down at Marcus, whom Tiny was working on pulling up at that moment. "Continue, Marcus."

"Thanks Blitz," Marcus called. As Marcus continued to talk, I noticed that Tiny had a lot less trouble pulling him up than he did me, likely attributed to Marcus being able to climb better than I could. It wasn't long before Marcus was all the way out of the pit, almost right in front of Dimitri, who started staggering backwards. "Now then, Dimitri, if I may continue. You probably would've seen Marie and Ki coming were you not so focused on your apparent victory. You really could've won if you didn't let me make a show of my own loss." Marcus then walked right up to Dimitri, who was starting to visibly sweat. "By the way, on a hot day like today, you really need to remember to drink water." Marcus then gave Dimitri a light shove to the forehead, which caused the warmly-dressed villain to fall backwards into the sand. Marcus clicked his tongue a bit. "Dang, and I was kinda curious if these two had nicknames. Though I guess if he didn't give one to his Vanillite, I dunno why the other two would be special." Marcus shrugged before turning around and seeing that Tiny was floating over to him while carrying Dimitri's fainted Clawitzer. "Ah, read my mind, Tiny. Thanks." Marcus then took the Clawitzer, held it over Dimitri, and squeezed its claw gun over the unconscious man, drenching him in the water from an unfired attack. Dimitri immediately shot to life, but was stopped from getting all the way up by Marcus reaching down, grabbing him by the collar and forcing him back onto the sand.

"Now, you're going to tell me some things," Marcus said in a low voice. "First and foremost, since you so foolishly revealed that Vale was paying you, that would lead me to believe he's got others after us too. Who are they?"

"I-I won't tell you," Dimitri replied, spitting in Marcus' face.

Marcus grinned a little and beckoned for me to come closer. "Blitz, I think our friend here is rather fond of the heat and a bit cold right now," he said to me. "Would you mind-?"

"Wait, wait!" Dimitri pleaded. "I'll tell you what I know! J-just spare me your Ponyta. I hate the heat..."

Marcus smiled a little. "Now then, your compatriots?"

"I... don't know much about them," Dimitri replied. "I know of three others Vale hired besides me. One of them is a trainer who specializes in Rock-types. Then there's another trainer that has a more balanced team, and he's probably the strongest trainer out of the three of us."

"And what about the last trainer?" Marcus asked.

Dimitri shook his head and started breathing heavily. He was starting to sweat even harder, and I couldn't tell if it was from the heat again, or fear of whoever was left. "Th-the last one..." he choked out. "S-S-Sssss..." And before he could even finish what he was saying, he passed out again.

Marcus paused for a moment before shaking his head and letting Dimitri fall back to the ground. He then started looking around. "Well, I guess I'd better try to get paramedics out here for him," Marcus mused. He then pulled out a small pen and notepad - something he seemed to have bought from the hotel's gift shop - and started scribbling down on it furiously. "Go get someone from Pastoria City, Tiny," he said as he tore a page out from the notepad and handed it to Tiny. While I couldn't read what it said, I imagined it was a rough explanation of what had happened on the beach just now. Tiny gave a nod before flying off at top speed ahead of us.

Marcus then let out a sigh before pulling out Ki's Pokeball and returning her. He then hoisted Dimitri's unconscious body up. "Blitz, you wouldn't mind..." Marcus started, but I guess we both realized the bad idea he was about to have at the same time. He then turned to Marie. "Marie, you wouldn't mind carrying him for me, would you? I'll carry his Clawitzer and Vanillite."

"Gotcha," Marie replied with a nod as she and Marcus exchanged unconsious foes. Seems I was off the hook for carrying anyone.

"And we're back on the road," Marcus said with a slight smile. He then took a brief glance back at the sandpit before turning and walking off, Marie and I following close behind. "I'm sure someone will find that Palossand..."

As we walked, I couldn't help but think about what Dimitri had told us. There really were other bounty hunters after us, sent by Vale to bring us to him by any means necessary. The fact that it had all happened literally overnight baffled me. When was our next encounter fated to be, I wondered? Would Marcus be as ready for the next battle as he was for this one? Would we be ready to help him?

Oh, what was I saying? Of course we would be!


	21. Entry 22: Thicker Than Water

Despite allowing me to write the next entry, Marcus insisted I also include a recap of what happened once we got to Pastoria City, despite me not even being involved in the debacle regarding that Dimitri fellow. As per requested, Marcus got Dimitri to a hospital, where he was expected to be just fine, then quickly moved to a jail cell. We took the time to rest at the Pokemon Center ourselves, then Marcus was eager to make his way to the Pastoria Gym right away, considering we seldom made it to a city with time enough in the same day to challenge the gym. Unfortunately, once Marcus got to the gym, he found that it was closed. A note was attached to the door, explaining that the gym leader had left town to get medicine for an ailing Pokemon in the nearby Great Marsh.

Considering the situation, especially with the Great Marsh being a popular attraction for tourists and trainers alike, Marcus decided the day was best spent at the Great Marsh if not at the gym. Of course, being a Water-type, I was the perfect candidate to join Marcus in exploring this place. At least, I thought I would be, but as it turned out, trainers weren't allowed to use their own Pokemon inside. Something about "preserving the environment" and "maintaining a fair playing field with catching other Pokemon," as one of the humans who stopped us put it, not that I paid attention. This wasn't entirely my normal behavior on display, though. I was distracted by another worker, a woman who seemed to be up there in her years, staring intently at me the whole time. It wasn't until Marcus was about to return me that she got up and started approaching us.

"Excuse me there," she said to Marcus as he still had my Pokeball in his hand. He turned around to face the woman. "If you don't mind me asking, where did you get that Prinplup of yours?"

I tilted my head to the side curiously when she asked this. Memories of my hatchlinghood slowly flowed through my mind as I thought on her question, even though she hadn't asked me. I was pretty much hatched and raised in the facility Professor Rowan had for raising all sorts of Pokemon for research, including starters like myself. That period of time was honestly nothing special. True, I tried to act separate from all the other Piplup and seclude myself, but contrary to most other Pokemon, that was rather normal behavior for us. Piplup are proud and often don't play well with other Piplup, after all.

"You mean Princess?" Marcus asked the woman. "I got her from Professor Rowan when I started my journey. How come?"

The woman nodded and paused for a moment. "You two might be able to help us," she said before turning around and walking off. "Come with me to the second floor. I want to show you something."

Marcus and I exchanged confused glances for a moment before both shrugging and following the woman upstairs. Once we got there, we saw that there was a set of huge windows that overlooked the Great Marsh, with a few binoculars set up so trainers could get a close look at the Pokemon residing within. The woman walked up to one set of binoculars, looked through and adjusted them a bit, then stepped away and gestured for Marcus to take a look. He did so, and I could tell what he saw wasn't exactly uplifting. Curious, I had him lift me up so I could see what was on the other side of the binoculars. What I saw was an Empoleon lying on a bed of leaves with several various Pokemon attending to it.

"The Pokemon of the Great Marsh see that Empoleon as their ruler," the woman explained as Marcus held me. "But he's fallen ill as of late. Our town's gym leader, Crasher Wake, departed recently to get medicine that will most likely cure Empoleon, but this would only remedy one issue."

As the woman kept talking, I saw a Prinplup walk up to Empoleon and help him sit up and against a tree. "Empoleon's child, I presume?" I asked, although neither Marcus nor the woman understood me.

"There's another Prinplup who is often beside Empoleon," the woman continued. "If Empoleon is the 'king' of the Great Marsh, we've deduced that Prinplup must be a 'prince' of sorts, and as such would take over the Great Marsh should the worst befall Empoleon. This wouldn't be a problem were it not for two things..."

"I bet I could guess one of those," Marcus replied as he set me back down. I wasn't done looking at Prinplup's and Empoleon's interactions, but I've learned that any complaints I have with what Marcus does fall on deaf ears, so I didn't bother protesting. "Prinplup isn't fit to rule?"

The woman nodded. "He's a rather young boy. If Empoleon were to pass tomorrow, the weight of the responsibility thrust on Prinplup would crush him, and the Great Marsh would fall into disarray. It would, of course, be something the staff could handle with time, but we'd rather take a route that preserves the natural order as closely as possible." The woman paused and nodded again. "Thus, as trainer to a Prinplup yourself, I was hoping we'd be able to enlist your help in the matter. I understand it's somewhat a long shot, but I thought a backup plan in case Crasher Wake doesn't return in time would be smart."

Marcus brought his hand to his chin and thought on this for a moment, audibly humming. "I'm curious," he started, "what was the other thing that posed a problem for Prinplup?"

The woman rubbed the back of her head. "This is a little embarrassing to say, and I deeply apologize to both you and your Prinplup if I insult either of you by saying this... but both Prinplup and Empoleon are the only two of their kind in the Great Marsh, and they've refused to take any mates that we've tried to set them up with."

As soon as I heard the woman say that, I could immediately feel my face turn a bright red. She really wanted me to...?

"I'll floor you for suggesting that!" I shouted as I charged the woman, but Marcus held me back, leaving me to just helplessly flail my flippers while in his grasp.

"We'll, um..." Marcus started. "Ahem, I don't see why Princess would be a good fit for that... 'role,' honestly. I understand, the prince would need to continue the bloodline, but... well, I think Princess answered your question a bit bluntly."

The woman nodded again, seemingly unfazed by my advance against her. She was lucky I had the common sense not to use a ranged attack on her in front of Marcus. "Forgive me," she said. "This was a plan I threw together in the few moments you spent talking to my colleagues downstairs. I won't expect you to offer them a mate, but I'm hoping you can advise Prinplup and Empoleon as a Prinplup trainer yourself."

I stopped flailing and shook myself out of Marcus' grip, walking back next to him. "We'll see what we can do," Marcus said after a short pause. He then looked down to me. I pouted a bit, still flustered from the woman's suggestion, but I think Marcus could tell I was still willing to help some other way.

"Oh thank you, both of you," the woman said as she approached to shake Marcus' hand and my flipper. "I'll go talk to my colleagues about our plan right away." With that, she made her way downstairs, Marcus and I following close behind.

(***)

It didn't take long to explain the plan to the rest of the Great Marsh staff, but they retained a high degree of skepticism anyway. Frankly, I couldn't have blamed them. Even I knew it was a harebrained plan, especially considering we never got past "see what you can do about it." Granted, I was certain I could come up with something. All Piplup are born with royal blood, after all. Maybe all I'd need to do would be remind the Prince of that somehow.

After a bit of convincing, Marcus and I were let into the Great Marsh together. We were taken by tram directly to the section where Empoleon was, which had apparently been closed off to other trainers since he fell ill.

To be perfectly fair, I'm not sure what I expected of a marsh, but it was a far cry from where I was raised. There was a lot more mud and cloudy water, the area was somewhat overgrown, and the canopy above only let a few streams of sunlight through here and there. I shuddered as I thought of what spending too much time here would do to my coat, and that was if I could avoid falling anywhere. I would have to demand a handsome reward after we were done here just to account for damages to my feathers.

Marcus pulled out a map that the staff had given us and looked it over for a bit. "Okay, I know where we need to go," he said before putting the map back in his bag and walking forward. I followed close behind, being careful where I stepped to make sure I wouldn't trip. "Be on your guard, Princess," I heard Marcus say. "I could imagine the Pokemon around here might be rather defensive with Empoleon ill. We have to watch where we- CRAP!"

I looked up when I heard Marcus shout, and saw a Drapion charging at him quickly with a roar. He wasn't able to leap out of the way in time before the Drapion used one of its arms to smack Marcus away and into a tree.

"Marcus!" I shouted as I watched my trainer slump to the ground. I was about to go try and help him, but I couldn't get far before the Drapion approached me. I got ready to defend myself, but before it even got within striking distance, it was suddenly attacked and staggered backward by an unseen force. I blinked once, and I suddenly saw Marie standing between Drapion and I.

"Go make sure Marcus is okay," Marie told me. "I'll take care of Drapion."

I gave a firm nod before turning and making my way over to Marcus, still trying to be careful of where I stepped to make sure I didn't fall. When I successfully made it to Marcus, I found that he seemed to be alright. He got up slowly and rubbed his head with a groan.

"That was a nasty surprise..." he mumbled as he got up and tried to shake the muck from where he landed off. (Fortunately, he was kind enough to do so away from me.) "Are you alright, Princess?"

I gave a nod. "Marie came out of nowhere and protected me," I replied. "How long have you had her following us, by the way?"

Marcus nodded, ignoring that I was even talking, and got to where Marie and Drapion were clashing. "Marie, get behind Drapion and use Fury Swipes!" he called. "Princess, use Brine from afar while it's distracted!"

Marie and I both quickly leapt into action at Marcus's command. Marie whirled around Drapion with such speed that she was nearly invisible, then started unleashing a volley of strikes before Drapion could even react. With Marie creating an opening, I took my shot. I took a deep breath, and let out a powerful stream of salty water which pelted Drapion square in its back. It fell forward, but stopped itself with its claws, panting heavily.

"I can't... lose..." it growled, struggling to stand. "At a time like this... a trainer... capturing the Prince..."

"Wait, the Prince?" I asked. I looked up at Marie, and she nodded at me, having heard the same thing, before running over to Marcus.

"We've got a problem..." she said. "This Drapion just addressed Princess as 'the Prince' while struggling to get up."

While Marie was updating Marcus, I ran over in front of Drapion. "This is a but awkward, but... I'm not your Prince," I explained to him. He immediately looked up and stared at me with disbelief on his face.

"You're not... the Prince...?" he asked. He then seemed to grow angry again, though still too beat from our attacks to do much. "Then... what business does another Prinplup and her trainer have in our land?"

"We actually seek an audience with the Empoleon and Prinplup who rule here," I replied. "My trainer will heal you once the Zoroark explains that you were acting to defend your Prince, despite the fact that I was mistaken for him. After that, will you take us to those in charge?"

Drapion let out a low growl and stared at me intensely. "What business... do you have with us?" he repeated.

Around this time, Marcus was approaching Drapion with a Potion in hand, but I raised my flipper to stop him, hoping he'd understand that meant I wasn't done talking Drapion down. Fortunately, Marcus got the message and stepped back. I then turned back to Drapion. "We wish no harm," I said. "My retainers and I heard that trouble befalls your people, so we wanted to help."

Drapion closed his eyes and thought on this for a moment. "I should not allow random travelers to simply waltz up to the Emperor," he said, "but I attacked you unprovoked, you bested me, you offer now to heal me, and you wish to help when the Emperor ails. I suppose I would make a poor retainer if I denied such a request." He then stared right into my eyes. "Have your trainer heal me."

I offered a slight, if not nervous, smile, then looked over to Marcus and nodded. He took the cue and approached Drapion to start healing him. As Marcus worked, Marie walked up beside me, the both of us watching Marcus work.

"I heard you call us your retainers," she said to me. "I'm telling Marcus when we're done here."

"Oh, lighten up, Marie," I said with a chuckle. "This is my mission in my element. Won't you let me have a little fun?" Marie shook her head, but didn't say anything else.

(***)

Once Drapion was healed and given some berries, he led us deep into the marsh to where Empoleon - the Emperor, as Drapion called him - was. What surprised me was that he offered to carry me over high water and mud on our trek, which I was very appreciative of. Ah, how jealous Marcus and Marie must have been...

After a bit of walking, we finally made it to a clearing that had some flowers and shrubbery - as well as some Burmy and Wormadam - hanging about in a decorative fashion, with Empoleon sitting against a tree on the opposite side of the clearing from where we entered, being attended to by some Croagunk and Bidoof, as well as the Prinplup standing next to him.

"My liege, I return with news and visitors," Drapion announced as he stepped forward, placed his left claw over his chest, and bowed his head. I did the same, and indicated for Marcus and Marie to follow suit. In truth, it hurt my soul a bit to bow to anyone, but an Empoleon was of higher nobility than a mere Prinplup, plus I was a guest to his court, so I had to suck it up if I was going to help at all. "I attacked them and was bested, but they healed my wounds, so I was indebted to them and obligated to fulfill their request for an audience with His Majesty. Please, forgive me."

Empoleon stared intensely at Drapion for a moment before slowly raising his flipper. "Rise... Sir Drapion..." he said, though I could tell talking was a struggle for him. His illness must have been worse than the Great Marsh staff first thought.

Drapion slowly looked up at Empoleon. "My liege, I apologize for any offense incurred, but they have come seeking to aid us in our time of need," Drapion explained.

"Nonsense!" Prinplup suddenly exclaimed while stepping forward. "A trainer, a Zoroark, and another Prinplup? They're surely here to usurp the-"

"Young Prince!" Empoleon exclaimed. The Prince quickly stopped talking and turned to face Empoleon, who started coughing after his shout. He was coughing for a few seconds before resuming. "Mind you hold your tongue, boy. You are not the Emperor yet."

Prinplup slouched his head a bit. "Yes, Father," he said quietly before returning to his spot next to Empoleon.

Empoleon then looked back over to us. "Zoroark and Prinplup from the outside," he said, "will you speak, or will your trainer?"

Marie and I both raised our heads, and I guess Marcus took the cue to follow suit. Marie looked over to me, probably wondering if there was anything in particular she was supposed to do. "Let me do the talking," I told her. I then turned back to Empoleon. "Your Majesty, my given name is Princess. My retainers are Marie and Marcus Lyre, the former of whom is able to translate our words for the latter using illusion. Forgive us for intruding in your affairs, but we wished to extend aid in your time of need."

I heard Marie translating for Marcus, who suddenly got a bit peeved. "What's this 'retainers' business, Princess?" he asked me.

"Just roll with it for now," I said quietly before turning back to Empoleon.

"You offer aid, you say?" Empoleon asked. He paused for a moment and hummed to himself. "Do you seek to cure my illness? Other humans have tried and failed."

"I'm afraid we cannot offer that," I said while shaking my head. "Actually, if we could request you clear your attendants out for now, save your son. We wish to speak of a matter better kept between us, though I swear upon my own royal blood that our intentions are pure."

Empoleon mused on this for a bit before raising his flipper, apparently a command to dismiss all other Pokemon in attendance, as they quickly left the clearing, leaving only him, the Prince, Marcus, Marie, and myself. "Any Pokemon proud to be who they are is able to see the shape of a trainer's heart," Empoleon said, "whether directly from the trainer, or through the Pokemon they travel with. You have my ear, Princess." As Empoleon said this, I saw Prinplup cross his flippers and stare at me intensely, though I ignored him for the time being.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," I said with a nod. "As for my proposition - and this is primarily my idea, with only oversight from my trainer - I actually ask something of your son. Forgive any offense, but I was informed that your current state may be weighing heavy on his heart. As such, I wished you would accept my offer of council for him. I thought perhaps I could teach him-"

"You wish to offer... yourself... to my son?" Empoleon interrupted. Both Prinplup and I gasped in unison. I felt a blush on my face just the same as I saw on his.

"F-Father, how could you suggest that?" Prinplup shouted as he turned to face Empoleon, his flippers flailing as he spoke.

"That's not even what I was offering!" I added. I took a few seconds to collect myself as I heard Marcus and Marie chuckle a little behind me. "Nay, I am... not interested, no offense to the Prince." He shot me another glare, apparently having composed himself, but I was able to easily ignore his glares at this point. "I thought that perhaps, at this time with the present situation, the Prince may want some type of guide for what his destiny is to be. The two of us may come from two different worlds, and we may walk two different roads with two different end goals, but we are both Prinplup with royal blood in our veins." I turned to Prinplup. "Prince Prinplup, if it would please you, I'd be more than happy to offer my help in any way you may need."

Prinplup continued to glare at me for a bit before he started walking towards me, stopping just a couple feet away and looking me dead in the eye, placing his flipper on his chin. "Call me crazy... but something you just said kinda sticks out for me..." he said. "Tell me, where do you come from, Princess?"

I blinked, not expecting a question like that. "I, uh... I was raised by Professor Rowan to one day become a starter Pokemon, and was later chosen by Marcus to journey with him," I replied. "What makes you ask?"

Prinplup continued to stare into my eyes for a few moments before stepping back a bit. "Father, could I have you take a look at something?" he asked Empoleon. Prinplup turned and motioned for me to follow him, and the two of us walked up in front of Empoleon.

"What is it, my son?" Empoleon asked.

"It's her eyes, Father," Prinplup replied. "I can't put my flipper on it, but I feel as though I've seen a similar look before."

"Oh...?" Empoleon asked, turning his attention to me and looking into my eyes in much the same way as Prinplup did. Staring back at Empoleon like this, I felt an uneasiness unlike any I'd ever felt before. Was this the feeling of being intimidated by a stronger Pokemon?

"Princess, what's going on?" I heard Marie ask from behind me. It was right at this moment that Empoleon suddenly stood up and took a step toward me.

"I see now..." he grumbled, his face turned to a scowl. He took another step towards me, and I took a step back. "You have nerves of stronger fortitude than another Empoleon to come here... bastard."

I took another step back, that last word cutting through me like a knife. "Oi, what's with the language?" Marie called. I would have said the same thing, but something about Empoleon's glare was having an extreme effect on me.

"Even if you were hatched under than human's care, you still knew where you came from... DIDN'T YOU?" Without warning, Empoleon suddenly reared his flipper back and struck me with enough force to send me flying backwards, landing right on Marie and taking us both to the ground, though I knew I didn't hit Marcus.

"What the hell's going on?" Marcus asked as he ran between Empoleon and where Marie and I lay.

"I was gonna ask the same thing..." I replied as I got up, my head suddenly a little foggy from both Empoleon's glare and the hit I took. I checked to make sure Marie was okay, and she nodded.

"Stay out of this, human," Empoleon growled as he continued approaching me. "Your Prinplup has caused more harm than either you or her realize. Her eyes cannot lie, for they belong to her mother."

"My... mother?" I asked. I could feel everyone's eyes fall on me all at once as Empoleon spoke. I shook my head and retorted, trying to sound confident, but some kind of chill was starting to run through me all of a sudden. "Wh-what are you talking about?"

Empoleon grunted and looked down. "I wouldn't be surprised if she died after laying you but before you hatched..." he said. "It would explain why you didn't know her sin."

I mustered all the confidence I could and took a step forward, trying to look determined. "What are you going on about?" I shouted.

"Your mother... used to be my Empress," Empoleon replied. "She and I used to rule the Great Marsh together. We even bore Prince Prinplup together. His eyes are the same as yours and hers. An abstract distinction, but a clear image of her soul can be found in both of you with a trained eye. Our days were happy, until... until the day the Creature came, and wrought havoc upon the Great Marsh. Your mother fought him in single combat in our name, and though she did succeed in greatly wounding him to the point where he has not posed a threat to the Great Marsh for a while now... she did not win, and the Creature..." Empoleon looked away, tears in his eyes.

"What... what happened?" I asked, my resolve waning fast.

Empoleon looked back at me, his glare still strong, but the tears were there. "We... we looked everywhere for her, and it was a few days before she finally staggered back into my wings," he continued, his voice starting to break a little. "But she... she couldn't stay. The Creature had defiled her, and thus soiled her pure blood. Exile was the only mercy I could offer her... and you."

I gasped and took a step back. "You mean... I'm..." I asked. I suddenly felt dizzy as this realization hit me. This "Creature" was... my father? And my mother was originally Empoleon's mate...

"And now you dare come back when I near the end of my life?" Empoleon shouted again, slashing at the air in my direction. "At this point, when it has been long enough for the Creature to have recovered enough to come back and usurp the throne, fate dictates you come and herald his return?" Empoleon looked down and clenched his flipper. "I shudder to think... what you would have done to the Prince if we had not realized this when we did."

I took another step back, but this time, I lost my balance and fell flat on my back, the world around me spinning as everything Empoleon had just told me crashed through my mind. None of this was what I had planned... or was it? Was my blood really not as pure as I always thought? Was this Creature waiting for me to make my way here one day, and now he had his chance to strike?

Would I really have done something terrible if Prinplup and Empoleon hadn't caught me?

I must have blacked out for a second, because the next thing I knew, Marcus and Marie were both standing over me, trying to get me to come to my senses. They were saying things, but I couldn't hear them. I sat up and looked past them, despite them trying to get my attention. I got tunnel vision, focusing on Empoleon hobbling back to the tree he was originally resting at with Prinplup holding onto him. Empoleon sat heavily back down with a grunt that signaled he'd exhausted himself just now. Despite not hearing Marcus or Marie, I heard Empoleon's next words clearly.

"I want all of you out of my sight now," he choked out. "Never sully my marsh with your tainted blood again."

I could tell Marcus and Marie were talking, I could tell Prinplup was looking back at me with some kind of sadness and anger, I could tell Empoleon's heart weighed heavy with what had just happened, and I could tell my coat was dirty from when I fell... but none of it was registering. My entire world felt like it was crashing down around me after what I'd just been told.

"Princess!" I heard Marie call. I knew it wasn't the first time she'd said my name, but for some reason, it was this time that I was snapped back to reality. I looked at her, and I turned to Marcus. Both were wearing worried looks.

"Princess... are you alright?" Marcus asked.

I could feel tears well up in my eyes, and I didn't have the strength to say anything except two words.

"I'm sorry..."

I think I blacked out for a second again, but when I came to, I was running. I was running through grass, branches, mud, everything. I didn't stop if I got scratched or cut, or if my coat got all sorts of mess on it. I didn't stop when I heard Marcus and Marie shout after me. I just ran, and I couldn't stop running. Running away from who I learned I was just now. Running away from Empoleon's words echoing through my mind. Wishing I could escape it all, though knowing in my heart that I couldn't...


	22. Entry 23: Rain

I don't know how long I ran for. My mind was so inundated with everything, I felt like I went numb and blind. I was on autopilot for Arceus-knows-how-long before I suddenly tripped and fell face-first into a puddle of muddy water. I layed there for a moment before picking myself up, coughing and sputtering, trying to get mud out of my mouth and wiping my eyes with my flippers, though I quickly realized that they were muddy as well, so I couldn't get myself too clean, only just barely enough to see. Once I was able to look around, I realized that it had started downpouring in the time I was running, and judging from the size and fluidity of the puddle I had just fallen into, it had been raining for a little while without me realizing it. I looked around for some kind of shelter, and I found a small cave. I quickly ran over, resting my haunches close to the mouth of the cave and curling up into a ball, trying to catch my breath.

Only just then registering some kind of pain, I reached up and felt my face. Touching myself in several spots caused my face to sting. A glance at my flippers where I had touched my face, and I could make out... blood. I looked around to find there was a small clear puddle next to me through which I could clearly see my reflection. The Prinplup I saw in the puddle... I almost didn't even recognize her. Her face was contorted into an expression of anguish, stained in several spots by not only mud, but also blood from several cuts she'd suffered from running carelessly through the thick growth of the marsh, not only on her face but the rest of her body as well. She started crying as she saw the state I was in, the tears getting into and irritating the cuts further, which only wrought more tears. She was truly a pathetic excuse for a Prinplup, her sheen as filthy as the blood she bled.

"I don't even know you anymore..." I said to her. "You've been living a lie this whole time... and you never knew..."

"Hey, don't say that," she said back to me. "Who cares that you've got family issues? You're still Princess."

"But then who's Princess?" I shouted into the puddle. "'A Piplup is born with royal blood.' That's what I've told myself for as long as I can remember. Without that, without the very foundation of my being, what am I?"

The Prinplup in the puddle looked down as she pondered my words. "Maybe that's what you think..." she said. She paused for a moment before looking back at me. "But that's not your whole identity. There's more that defines you than what you were born as."

I clenched my flipper before angrily swiping at the puddle, causing the water to splash everywhere. "AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW?" I shouted at the rippling water. "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU KNOW ME SO WELL?"

I started panting a bit from my rage-induced shout as I glared at the puddle, as though I really expected a response. As soon as I started to calm down, the puddle suddenly stopped rippling, and instead held completely still, the Prinplup within still looking at me. "Because we've known each other long enough," she said to me. As soon as she said that, the water rippled again, and the Prinplup changed into a Zoroark.

I gave a startled yelp and backed away from the puddle. I tried to turn around to run out of the cave, but I was instead faced with Marie, who was standing behind me for what I could only assume to have been that entire time. Either way, her presence startled me enough for me to fall flat on my back. I sat up to see her approach me and kneel down, offering her hand to help me up.

"If that was some illusion of yours, it wasn't funny," I huffed angrily as I took the Zoroark's clawed hand and got up. Once I was back on my feet, I turned away from her. "What are you doing here?"

"I followed you, of course," she replied. "I was worried about you, and I know for a fact Marcus is even more worried."

"Well, now you see I'm fine," I replied in an exasperated tone. "Good talk. Now leave me alone."

I tried to walk off deeper into the cave, but Marie grabbed my shoulder. "Princess, it's obvious you're not fine," she said. "Just look at yourself! Less than an hour ago you'd have sooner jumped into a volcano than let yourself get to this state."

"Well maybe that doesn't matter to me anymore," I said as I shook Marie's claw off of me and turned to face her. "Maybe the way I look doesn't matter. Maybe a few cuts don't matter. Maybe..." I could feel tears starting to well up in my eyes again, "...Maybe I don't even matter."

"That's enough," Marie said as she stepped forward. "You're letting the words of one Empoleon - who you don't even know, I should add - get to you way more than what's healthy."

I took a few steps forward. "You don't understand," I said in a low voice. "What that Empoleon said, it cut me deeper than anything that defiles my face right now. The very foundation of a Piplup's life is their royal blood. If my mother was defiled, then that makes me less than nothing. That makes me a disgrace to my species. Do you have any idea how it feels? To learn that your very existence is a blight?"

"That's just crazy talk!" Marie shouted back, trying to push herself into my space, but I wasn't budging. "You're more than just any other Prinplup. You're part of our family, and what you just said shouldn't matter."

"Well it matters to me!" I retorted, leaning forward so Marie and I were directly in each others' faces. "Not everything is something that involves you, Marcus, and everyone else. Some things are personal, and some things can hurt you on a personal level. What if you found out one day that the one who murdered Bonnie and Shawn actually turned out to be Mar-"

I couldn't even finish my sentence before Marie suddenly slapped me. I fell dead silent as I looked back at Marie. I wore an expression of shock as I rubbed where her claw made contact, and she wore an intense yet teary-eyed glare. "That... was too far..." she choked out. "When I confide something in someone... I expect them to be respectful about it!" As she said that, she reared back and uppercutted me square in the jaw, knocking me into the air and onto my back. As I reeled from the pain, she continued talking. "You really think I've never been personally hurt? You really think I'm that oblivious to what you're going through?" I blinked, and the next thing I knew, Marie was standing over me, her expression intense and angry, though tears were streaming down her face. She grit her teeth before continuing. "NOTHING MAKES YOU SPECIAL ON THAT FRONT, PRINCESS!"

I saw her rear her arm back for another blow, and I winced, looking away and raising my flipper to try and block the hit. However, the hit never came. I opened my eyes and looked up to see Marie offering her hand to help me up again. "Marie...?" I muttered.

"We've all been hurt at one point or another," Marie continued. "But no amount of pain gives anyone the right to try and push their friends away when they're needed most. I know this from experience. So do Marcus and Ki. It's a lesson everyone has to learn at some point, and if you won't learn it until I've reprimanded and beaten the shit out of you myself, then I've got all the time in the world."

I stared up at Marie for the longest time, laying still as she held her hand out in front of me, as though I were frozen, and I suppose, in a sense, I was. I was having a hard time figuring everything out in my head, everything I'd known for as long as I'd lived competing with what she was trying to tell me. It was like... I just found out I was never as important as I thought I was, and yet I was still important to her, Marcus, and the others. It was a concept I couldn't grasp at first, yet for some reason, as I laid there with this Zoroark who considered me her friend standing over me and offering to help me up, the pieces started falling into place. Slowly but surely, it had been happening ever since my journey had begun, but now... at that point, I think whatever wall I had put up was finally torn down.

I took Marie's hand yet again, and she helped pull me back up to my feet. Then, I did something that I'm pretty sure surprised both of us. I leapt forward and embraced her, leaning in and crying uncontrollably into the fluff of her shoulder. "I'm so sorry!" I sobbed. "I'm sorry I made you and Marcus worry, I'm sorry said those things to you - across our whole journey - and I'm sorry for what I said and did just now. But... but most of all, I'm sorry for what I put myself through. I never wanted to hear what you've been trying to tell me this whole time until my own ego got to its breaking point... and even after that, I just gave up, and I made you have to be the one to pull me back..."

I tried to say more beyond that, but my sobbing got too bad to talk anymore beyond that. I just clutched Marie tightly and refused to let go. After a bit, I felt her hug me back, and rest her head on top of my own. "There there, Princess," she said to me as she stroked the back of my neck gently, "let it all out. You'll be fine. I'm here for you."

I couldn't tell how long I spent crying, but however long it was, Marie never moved or tried to get me to hurry up. All she did was hold me, and let me cry.

And, like barren farmland with fresh-planted crops needed rain to grow, I guess my fresh wounds needed tears to heal.

It took a little while, but I did eventually stop crying of my own accord. Once I stopped, I looked up at Marie, who smiled softly at me. "Feeling better?" she asked.

I sniffled a little, but nodded and smiled. "Y-yeah... I actually am..." I replied. I then took a couple steps back and brushed myself off a bit. A lot of the mud and blood on me had caked on my sheen already, but for the first time, I actually didn't mind that too much.

"Well if you're feeling up to it, let's go," Marie said. "Marcus is worried sick about us, I bet." With a chuckle, she added, "Plus, the both of us really need a bath."

I chuckled and rolled my eyes at this comment. She was right, we were both rather muddy, and I only made her fur worse when I hugged her. A bath sounded real good right about now.

With that, Marie and I made our way out of the cave. The rain had let up a bit, so it wouldn't have been dreadful to walk through, but it was still a light drizzle.

We barely left the cave, though, before Marie suddenly stopped in her tracks and outstretched her arm to stop me behind her. She started looking around intently, her ears twitching.

"What's wrong, Marie?" I asked her.

Marie was silent, continuing to look around for a bit, before replying. "Something just occurred to me..." she said. "We've been hiding out in this cave this whole time, but we haven't seen whatever Pokemon might call this place its home."

As soon as Marie finished saying that, I heard a low rumbling sound, followed by heavy stomps. Before I could question what the sound might've been, I felt something grab my head, and I was suddenly yanked backwards into the cave. I hit the ground hard once I landed, so I was too disoriented to get a good look at what had attacked me. I did, however, hear Marie call after me before she let out a sharp cry of pain.

"Well well..." a monstrous voice growled as our assailant threw Marie next to me. "This seems to be my lucky day."

The light in the cave was dim, and whatever attacked us was blocking the main source of light we had, but I could tell it was a Pokemon that was over double my height, heftily-built, and covered in jagged edges. It was walking toward us with slow, lumbering stomps, its heavy, growling breaths piercing the air. And through it all, a strange and crushing dread started welling up inside of me.

"Princess, can you see anything?" Marie whispered to me. "Through the dark, I mean?"

I shook my head. "I can't, no," i replied.

"Then let me do the fighting, since my eyes can adjust better in here" Marie continued. "I'll create an opening, you run outside."

"Marie, you can't-" I started, but she brought a claw to my beak.

"You're too banged up to survive a fair fight against a Feraligatr," she told me. "I'll lure him out of the cave, and then we'll fight him together. Got it?"

I barely hesitated before giving a quick nod. Right at that moment, the Feraligatr was right over us and was winding up to strike with his claw. Marie and I both dodged in opposite directions just in time for his claw to strike the ground where I was originally standing, cracking the rock below. I guess in some twisted way, I could have felt honored he thought of me as the greater threat between the two of us.

"Too slow!" I heard Marie shout. In the dim light, I just barely made out the silhouette of Marie leaping at Feraligatr and attacking him with Fury Swipes. Feraligatr was using his arms to defend, but he was still pinned by Marie's attack. I didn't hesitate, and quickly ran out of the cave, and as soon as I was out, I turned around to see Marie running out as well, quickly stopping next to me.

"Is he mad?" I asked with a smirk.

"Pissed," Marie replied with a chuckle. "You ready for this?"

I gave a determined nod before getting ready for a battle, focusing my attention on the mouth of the cave, where Feraligatr was emerging. Once he stepped into the dim daylight, I got a much better view of his features. For one, he seemed a little larger than the average Feraligatr. (At least, larger than the single Feraligatr I had seen at Professor Rowan's lab at one point.) For another, his right eye was clenched shut, and there was a huge scar around it. Come to think of it, his body was covered in similar scars, albeit much smaller. Wounds that could only have been inflicted by a sharp edge of some sort, and a refined one at that.

Just then, a thought popped into my head, and I took a step backward. Could that edge have been... that of an Empoleon?

"You!" I shouted resolutely as I pointed at Feraligatr. "Where did you get those wounds? From an Empoleon?"

"Princess, what are you-?" Marie asked, but she stopped when she noticed that what I had asked stopped Feraligatr in his tracks. He stood up straight and glared down at me, his single eye piercing through both of mine. His expression was that of pure rage, and it was only at this point that I noticed that one of his teeth was broken and jutting out the side of his mouth.

"Yes..." he hissed, his mouth curling into a grin. "I thought I smelled familiar blood. How merciful fate is... reuniting a father and his child."

I clenched my flipper and grit my beak. This really was the creature that attacked my mother. I wanted to leap at him and gouge his other eye out right then and there, but Marie stopped me by placing a claw on my shoulder, likely sensing what I was thinking.

"Don't let him get to you," she said to me. "All we need to do is kick his ass, and we can be done with this."

I shook myself off and readied myself again. "Y-you're right," I replied.

"But don't you want to know?" Feraligatr roared as he rushed at me, swinging his arm for what I assumed to be Chip Away. I leaped out of the way, and Marie took took her opportunity to sideswipe him with a Night Slash. However, Feraligatr barely flinched from this attack, reaching around and grabbing Marie before slamming her to the ground in front of him, pinning her down. He then looked back up at me. "Don't you wanna know about your mother? The state I found her in? The state I left her in?"

"Shut up!" I shouted before firing a Bubblebeam at him. I figured that wouldn't do much, but it'd make him have to defend, and loosen his grip on Marie just enough for her to escape. Sure enough, he brought his arms up to guard, and Marie took her chance, swiping at his underside with an Aerial Ace to his underside as she dashed away. Despite this combination of attacks, Feraligatr still stood up, still staring right at me.

"What a beautiful damsel she was, lost in the wilderness," he taunted as he charged right at me. I tried to evade again, but he somehow moved even faster than last time, striking me in the chest and knocking the wind out of me. In that instant, I saw where he was standing at first. There was a huge indent in the ground, created by his tail. He'd slammed it against the ground to give himself the forward momentum he needed to reach me in time, and it wasn't until the instant in which he hit me that I realized it all.

I did my best to hold my footing, skidding backwards from Feraligatr's attack - another Chip Away, I thought - but collapsed forward as I struggled to catch my breath. I heard him lumbering toward me, but I couldn't do anything against him. "She was just... too pretty," he continued with a growl. "I wanted to dirty her up a bi-"

I looked up just in time to see Marie rush up and strike his face with Night Slash again, staggering him backwards. She then took up a stance between him and I.

"Princess! Can you stand?" she asked me. I tried to reply, but I could barely manage a heave, and shook my head. I couldn't stand, let alone breathe. Still, Marie seemed to understand, and nodded. "I'll keep you covered, then." I then saw her charge forward at Feraligatr.

"I think I know something you two don't..." Feraligatr growled as he reached up to parry Marie's next attack. "You two have been domesticated most of your lives, haven't you?" Feraligatr then grabbed Marie by the arm and threw her into me. I still couldn't move, so she slammed into me, only causing more pain to my already aching lungs. As she fell on top of me, my vision started to get blurry. I could probably recover as long as I was left alone, but I was likely to faint just from lack of oxygen at this rate.

"You monster!" Marie shouted as she got off of me and readied herself to defend.

"Heheheh..." Feraligatr chuckled as he approached. "A trainer makes a Pokemon weak. Being tamed makes a Pokemon forget how to survive... how to kill."

This time around, I heard Feraligatr's tail slam against the ground. Even if I could speak, I couldn't have warned Marie in time. I think she could have dodged if she knew how fast Feraligatr was going to come, but she wasn't ready, and Feraligatr charged into her with his full body, knocking her clear behind me. I struggled to turn around, and was just barely able to turn to where they were on the edges of my vision. My breath and sight were starting to return, but I was still hurting too badly to get back up right away. How desperately I wanted to get back up, though, as I saw Marie attacking Feraligatr, yet her attacks didn't seem to be doing much. I was just in time to catch Marie using her illusion to create multiple copies of her all around Feraligatr, all of which attacked at once. However, Feraligatr reached at one of them - seemingly at random - and somehow managed to grab the real Marie by the neck, evidenced by the rest of them suddenly disappearing.

"H-how?" Marie choked out as she struggled against Feraligatr's grip to no avail.

"You think you're the first Zoroark I've ever fought?" Feraligatr growled as he gave a sinister smile and gripped Marie's left arm with his free hand. "You can trick the eyes and ears, but you can't trick the nose, and I've trained mine to smell blood very well."

Just then, I heard a piercing snap that seemed to deafen everything. I looked up at Marie's face, and it was a mixture of shock and horror. I registered in an instant what had happened. Feraligatr had just broken her arm as though it were a toothpick.

She let out a blood-curdling scream of pain that seemed to echo throughout the marsh. Feraligatr dropped her to the ground, and try as she did, she couldn't avoid falling on the same side as her broken arm. She twisted over and tried to grip her arm, which was hanging limply from somewhere between her elbow and wrist. She continued to scream, but her screams couldn't drown out Feraligatr's laughter. "Like I said, weak," Feraligatr laughed before giving her a solid kick in her side, sending her spinning into the air and landing on her face. I think she finally fainted after that, because she stopped screaming, although I could still hear light sobs coming from her. Feraligatr then turned around and started walking toward me. At this point, I was finally able to stand, but whether I'd be able to fight back was a different story. I tried to give him a resolute glare, but I don't think I looked as resolute as I wanted to because I was still panting.

"You... bastard..." I muttered. "You're... gonna pay..."

"You're calling me the bastard?" Feraligatr asked as he came up and smacked me to the side with a powerful swing of his arm. I couldn't even move to dodge or defend, and I got smacked away into a tree. I hit my back and slumped to the ground. After everything Feraligatr had done, my heart was in no shape to fight anymore, and my body was suffering for it. Before I knew it, Feraligatr was standing over me, looking down triumphantly. I looked up and tried to look intimidating, but I guess hopelessness was already plastered onto my face.

"Why...?" I choked out quietly. "Why are you... such a... monster...?"

Feraligatr grinned. "Because I'm the strongest Pokemon in this marsh," he said. "Which reminds me, I never finished telling you what happened to your mother." He then reached down and grabbed me by the throat, slowly lifting me up to eye level with him. "She and I had a very, very exciting battle. Some of the scars you see on me were from her. Although... my missing eye is probably my most interesting wound." He suddenly tightened his grip on me, and I thought he was going to crush my windpipe at this rate. "I beat her. She fought hard, but she lost. And I claimed my prize. I claimed _her_. Yet, when I was at my weakest, she proved she still had a little bit of fight left in her. She jabbed her flipper into my eye, and gouged it out. Then she pushed me off of her and ran. I was too injured to chase her, even if she hadn't blinded me." He then brought his second hand up over his first and pressed harder against my throat. I could barely even register the pain in my neck, though. My vision was starting to go dark, and Feraligatr's words sounded far away. Was this the feeling of dying, I wondered...?

"Now I'm going to do to both you and your friend what I did to your mother, and what I'll soon do to this whole marsh," Feraligatr continued. "I'll break you, and I'll make you mine. All you'll-"

Feraligatr was suddenly cut off when both his arms were suddenly struck with powerful blows, causing him to release his grip on me. I slumped lifelessly to the ground, only just being able to see Marie standing over me in front of a staggering-back Feraligatr. "M-Marie..." I choked out, but I could barely talk. My throat was practically crushed at that point. I still felt like I was being choked despite Feraligatr's claws not being around me. It felt like what little breath - and life - I had left was draining away.

Yet there Marie was. One arm broken, but the other raised and ready to attack. It was then that I realized what Marie already knew and accepted. Feraligatr's endgame was to see us dead, so we had to resist that outcome by absolutely all costs.

Not that I could fight anymore. Darkness was slowly enveloping my vision, and I couldn't even hear anything anymore. Everything truly felt lost.

"I'm sorry... Marie..." I choked out before finally succumbing to my eternal sleep...

(***)

 _I awoke with a start, taking a huge gasp of air. I sat up straight and started panting heavily. Before anything else, I reached up and felt my throat. It was... fine? In fact, nothing hurt at all. Still, something felt wrong. I kept my flipper against my neck, but... no pulse._

 _"_ _I'm really...?" I started, but I couldn't finish my sentence. At least, I couldn't bring myself to._

 _Instead, I started looking around. It looked like the marsh, exactly where I fell, except there was no water anywhere. The pools were empty, the mud was barren dirt, and the plants were dying. It was a depressing image, though I guess I could understand why, given the circumstances._

 _"_ _Princess?" I heard a voice call. I perked up and started looking around for the source. It was a decidedly feminine voice. For an instant, I feared it was Marie calling to me, but that thought was quickly dispelled when I found the real source. It was an Empoleon... and one I recognized._

 _"_ _M-Mother!" I called back, bursting into tears as I ran up and hugged her. She embraced me back, though she didn't seem to emote._

 _"_ _You shouldn't be here..." she said to me. "Unless... you've met your father, haven't you?"_

 _I looked up at her, tears streaming down my face. "I'm sorry..." I said softly. "I wasn't strong enough to beat him."_

 _Mother paused for a moment and just looked down at me. She then reached her flipper over and wiped my tears for me. "You haven't lost yet," she said to me._

 _"_ _What... do you mean?" I asked. "I'm already... already dead. How can I do anything anymore?"_

 _"_ _If you were really dead yet, I wouldn't be here," Mother replied. "You've inherited a powerful strength of will from me... as well as him. He may be a horrible monster, but his greed and lust led to your birth, and you're the perfect one to stop him... but that's not all your strength."_

 _She then pointed behind me. I looked back in that direction, and in the sky, I saw something falling. "Her," Mother said to me. "She gives you the strength you need. Your friend."_

 _It was in that moment that I realized that it was Marie falling. "NO!" I shouted without thinking. I tore myself away from Mother and started running toward Marie. She was falling straight down rather than at any angle away from me, so I was sure I could reach her. I just ran as fast as possible, pushing my feet to their limit. As I ran, the world around me started falling away, until I was running through a white, cloudy world to try and catch Marie before she hit a non-existent ground._

 _And just before she was about to fall out of my reach, I gave one last, desperate leap forward. Time slowed to a Slugma's pace, but I saw she was about to fall right into my flippers..._

(***)

When I opened my eyes again, I was looking down at Marie, who was laying on the ground. Both her arms were bent in awkward positions, broken. She was unconscious, but breathing.

In the next moment, I realized I was hunched over, and my right flipper was held behind my head. Wait, it was pressed up against something. No... something was grabbing it? I looked to my side, and saw Feraligatr with his jaws clamped down on the edge of my flipper. His expression was one of shock, and his broken tooth was gone.

And in the moment after that, it registered that my flipper looked... different.

Feraligatr let me go and staggered backwards, roaring in pain. I took my opportunity to bring my flipper back down and turn to face him. I was noticeably taller, my flippers were longer and lined with steely edges, and... well, that's all I needed to know. This was the final stage of my evolution: Empoleon.

"Clever little sneak," Feraligatr growled, rubbing his mouth, blood dribbling out where his tooth used to be. He licked some of it up and scowled at me. "But if you think evolving out of the blue is gonna save you, don't forget what I did to your mother.

I opened my mouth to speak, but my voice came out quiet and hoarse. My throat was still in a bad way, even though I could breathe fine now. In fact, I realized I was still injured in a general sense. Evolving hardly brought me back to my full strength. Even still, I was ready to fight. I brought the steely edges of my flippers up against one another, connecting them at around their midpoints, and slowly slid them against each other towards the tips, creating a piercing grinding sound and generating small sparks, before letting them slide apart with force after the tips made contact, putting me into a combat-ready stance. It was a movement fueled by instinct, but seeing as I couldn't talk, I think what i did got my message across perfectly: "You hurt my friend, so now I'm gonna kick your ass."

"Heh, too bad I won't be able to hear you scream now," Feraligatr said before charging forward at me. He didn't propel himself with his tail this time, so he was slower than before. Perhaps he thought he didn't have to try too hard since he'd already weakened me before. That was his mistake. I charged back at him, but before we made contact, I dived to the ground and started sliding forward on my belly, striking out at his legs with Steel Wing to trip him. He wasn't able to react fast enough, and I managed to hit him squarely in each of his knees. However, as he fell, he hit me right on my side with his tail, the force being enough to flip me over and onto my back. I quickly rolled back a little more before leaping up to my feet, around the same time as he got back to his. He was just a little more clever than I initially gave him credit for, but that was hardly the only trick I had up my sleeve.

I reared back, then opened my mouth and unleashed a Bubblebeam in his direction. He started running to dodge, but I kept the attack going, continuing to turn towards him as he ran. This, in fact, was part of my plan. I had him running to dodge my attack, thinking I couldn't keep up with him, but without warning, I suddenly cocked my head to the side, quickly getting my attack in front of him before he could stop himself. The force of the multiple bubbles striking him on his side got him staggering sideways, even if it wasn't very effective in terms of actual damage. With Feraligatr unbalanced, I ran in and dove towards him, bringing my wings forward in a cross shape, aiming to tackle him with another high-speed Steel Wing. My attack made contact, but he brought his arms up to guard at the last second. Both of us were knocked to the ground as a result of this. I landed on top of him, but he quickly threw me off. Fortunately, I was able to promptly rise back to my feet from this, too. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention to Feraligatr in this time, and he took advantage of this by charging at me, grabbing me by the neck, and slamming me against a tree, pinning me a few inches up in the air.

"You've improved in a short amount of time, I'll give you that," Feraligatr growled, "but you're still weak. You don't know how to fight to survive... and that's why you've lost."

Him choking me was starting to become a rather tired trope. Even still, there wasn't much I could do in my position. I flailed my flippers against his scales, but he wasn't flinching.

"Being tamed makes a Pokemon forget how to survive... how to kill..."

I don't know why or how, but I suddenly found myself saying those very same words that Feraligatr said before. Then, moving on its own in much the same way my mouth did just now, I let one of my flippers free of Feraligatr's arm, reared back, and jammed the tip right into his good eye.

For a brief moment, it felt like time completely halted. The image of Feraligatr's expression the very instant it changed from a cruel smile to a look of shock and, dare I add, terror, blood spurting out from his eye from the impact of my flipper, drops seeming to hang in the air to the point where I could swear I had time to reach out and touch them.

It was an instance of time that would be burned into my vision for as long as I lived.

Just as suddenly as it stopped, time resumed again. Feraligatr let out a piercing roar of pain and dropped me. Unfortunately for him, I fell while my flipper was still lodged in his eye, causing my flipper to tilt upward as I fell. I couldn't see the exact effects, and I really didn't want to imagine them, but as I slumped to the ground in a heap, I saw Feraligatr trip over his tail as he tried to step backwards and fall onto his back as well, still letting out ear-splitting roars of pain, grasping at where his eye used to be and flailing violently. Realizing I was probably the target of his blind flailing, I quickly scampered a short distance away from him. Once I felt I was comfortably out of his reach, I slowly got up and looked on at the sight. This creature - this monster - that Marie and I had tried to fight fairly... and all it took to beat him was to stoop down to his level.

In that moment, a weird feeling suddenly washed over me like a thousand-kilo drape. I had the sudden urge to throw up, so I bent down and retched, but nothing came up. I heaved a couple times, but nothing. Panting, I finally realized that I was staring down at a reflective puddle. It was an Empoleon staring back at me, alright, but her face was defiled by Feraligatr's blood, and she looked sullen... though not broken. In fact, there was a faint glint in her eye. I didn't want to call it hope, though. It was... relief. With Feraligatr beaten, it felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders, and somehow or another, I could tell Mother felt the same way, wherever she was.

"Thank you," I whispered, feeling as though I was talking directly to Mother. Right as I said this, I saw a raindrop fall into the puddle, followed by another. I looked up, and the rain was picking back up, getting about as heavy as it was before I had entered the cave. I stood and stared up at the rain for a bit, the sound of the rain falling seeming to drown out Feraligatr's roars after a bit.

I stood there for a second, reflecting, then looked back down. Feraligatr had stopped flailing and was now on his stomach, both hands held over his face and sobbing pathetically. I considered walking over and finishing him, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead, I suddenly felt on the verge of passing out, but I knew I couldn't do that yet. I looked behind me, and Marie was still laying where I had seen her last. It was then that I realized what I had to do. I walked over to the Zoroark and carefully lifted her up, supporting her with the broad edges of my flippers, being careful not to move her arms too much. Then, my friend in tow, I started walking away from the battlefield, leaving Feraligatr behind.

As I walked, I thought I heard Marie try to whisper something, but I couldn't hear her over the rain. I tried to shush her, though. "Rest, Marie," I replied, although I don't think my words could've been heard at all. "We're going to be alright..."

(***)

It took a lot of walking, but I had confidence I would reach my destination, and indeed, that's what I did. I finally got back to Empoleon's court, where Marcus was still waiting. He ran up to me, a look of worried relief on his face. He said something, but I didn't hear him. This seemed to be where I started losing consciousness, but I couldn't fall yet. I gently set Marie down in front of Marcus, who returned the Zoroark to her Pokeball. He was about to do the same for me, but I stopped him. I wasn't done yet.

I turned around, and walked up to Empoleon, staring him dead in the eye. I saw Prinplup move, but I reached up to halt him, not breaking my gaze. I then summoned the last of the strength I had, opening my mouth to speak as clearly as I possibly could.

"Keep... your throne... but it's not... yours..."

I then started to fall backwards, but I blacked out before I hit the ground.


	23. Entry 24: What A Deafening Silence Says

_"_ _They'll be fine. We're equipped to handle these kinds of injuries."_

I woke up with a sudden gasp, barely remembering those last words I heard. Did I dream of them...?

As my senses came back to me, the first thing I noticed was that I was sitting upright in some kind of bed in a darkened room, supported by some kind of soft backboard... a far cry from the last place I remembered, which was getting carried through the Great Marsh as I slipped in an out of consciousness. At least this meant Feraligatr wasn't the one who hauled me off.

I tried to rub my face, but my arms couldn't move for some reason. I remembered after I tried moving them what Feraligatr did to me - although anything past my first arm getting broken was really fuzzy - but it was a different feeling that was keeping me from moving my arms. I looked to my left, and noticed that my arm was outstretched away from me, straightened, wrapped up in something tough, and held up by some kinds of straps attached to the ceiling.

Just past my arm, I saw another bed that had a sleeping Empoleon in it, sitting upright in the bed in similar fashion to how I was positioned, only she was wearing something around her neck that looked like it was made of the same material that was wrapped around my arms.

I quickly recognized her as Princess, only evolved again, and gave a slight chuckle. "So you've had to evolve to save my life twice now, huh?" I asked myself quietly.

I considered calling out to her, but she looked just a little too peaceful to disturb. Instead, I looked over to my right, where I saw a window. Outside, the night sky was clear and starry, although I couldn't see the moon from the angle I had. Some ways away from the window was a thick treeline that I could only assume marked the edge of the Great Marsh.

Just to the side of the window, though, I saw Marcus, sitting slouched in an uncomfortable seeming chair with his head down and his arms crossed. I assumed he was asleep, and my suspicious were confirmed when I heard a heavy snore come from him. I couldn't help but laugh at this, though it sounded like I laughed just loud enough to wake him up. He stirred a bit before raising his head and yawning. He then rubbed one of his eyes groggily while looking up at me. Once he noticed I was awake, though, he shot awake and ran over to hug me.

"Marie, you're awake!" he whispered, his arms carefully wrapped around me, likely trying to avoid touching my arms. He then leaned up and looked at my face. "At least I hope you're awake. You're not still mostly under those sedatives they gave you like last time, right?"

I gave Marcus a puzzled look. "I'm not sure what you're talking about..."

Marcus gave a slight chuckle and stepped back from me. "Well, you actually spoke coherent Human for me, so I'll take that as you being back," he replied. He then turned around and pulled the chair he was sitting in up next to my bed, then sat down. "So, you want me to catch you up on what you've missed, or you wanna go back to sleep? Bear in mind it's one in the morning right now, though."

I nodded. Although I found myself unusually tired at the moment, I felt like there was a lot that had gone on that I needed to know. "Yeah, if you could please fill me in," I said.

Marcus nodded. "After Princess ran off into the marsh, I figured you would give chase, so I decided it would be best to hang back and wait with Prinplup, Empoleon, and their guard. I, er... caught a good number of rough stares, but I had the others with me in case anything happened, which, fortunately, nothing did. At least, not until Princess got back, covered in blood and carrying your unconscious body. I returned both of you, but not before Princess got up into Empoleon's face and said something that I can only assume to have been some kind of callout. She fainted immediately after that." Marcus paused and shook his head. "I can't imagine what you two went through for you both to get that badly beaten..."

"We fought a Feraligatr," I replied. "It... turned out to be Princess' father, and it tried to, er... let's just say the two had some family issues that we won't have to worry about anymore. Princess might be able to fill you in on more details, because I actually don't know how she beat him. The last thing I remember was fighting him with one broken arm, only for him to break my other one. I partially came to and saw that I was getting carried through the marsh, but that was it." I paused for a moment before adding, "Which brings me to how Princess and I wound up here. I imagine you brought us, but what's this stuff on my arms?"

Marcus nodded slowly. "Apparently, savage Pokemon attacking other Pokemon is a common problem around here," he replied. "The Pokemon Center here in Pastoria City has some special equipment for extreme injuries, like your broken arms, or Marie's crushed windpipe." He paused for a moment and looked over at Marie. "I brought you two here yesterday - or I guess the day before, now, since it's past midnight - and they've been... well, I won't pretend to understand the specifics, but they mentioned a few surgeries and other complicated stuff, to include anesthetics using both drugs and Psychic-type Pokemon." He then chuckled for a moment before adding, "I don't know if you remember, but I was in here last night when you woke up, but you were still under something, and you just started babbling nonsense. Everything from asking if I could make you some pancakes to trying to organize all the equine Pokemon into a rainbow. You actually got as far as Keldeo before passing out again."

I gave a nervous chuckle and looked down, slightly embarrassed. "Please tell me I wasn't too ridiculous," I replied jokingly.

"Oh believe me, you're more lucky that I was the only one who heard you than you know," Marcus said with a laugh. "But between you and me... what you said was _nothing_ compared to a similar episode Princess had before then."

I couldn't help but lighten up a little and giggle at the prospect. "Really?" I asked. "You've gotta tell me what she said. Please?"

"Ah-ah," Marcus replied playfully, waggling his finger. "She made me pretend not to hear a word she said specifically so I couldn't tell you."

"Oh come on!" I laughed. "Just one thing from her?"

Marcus and I just spent another minute quietly laughing just at that. It was a weirdly pure kind of laughter. A kind we hadn't shared since we were both little. After everything we'd been through, a little innocent laughter was almost cathartic.

Once we were done, I sighed and just smiled at him. "Hey Marcus..." I started. "Thanks for bringing me with you. This journey has hurt at times, but I'm glad to be here with you."

Marcus chuckled a little. "Heh, you're welcome, but where's this coming from?"

"Well... I very nearly died. Of course I'd wanna say something I felt was important." I looked down, but I was still smiling a little. "Made me realize there's plenty I want to say but never did."

Marcus sighed and shook his head. "C'mon, Marie, don't talk like that," he said. "We've all got each other's backs, always, and what you and Princess went through proves it." He leaned up and gave me another hug before pulling away and standing up. "If you've got anything else to say, I'll be here for you in the morning, I promise. For right now, though..." He paused and let out a huge yawn. "...I still need a couple more hours of sleep. You don't mind, do you?"

I gave a soft chuckle. "Not at all. Sleep well, Marcus."

Marcus smiled and returned to his chair, quickly slumping over and falling back to sleep. I didn't realize it until that moment, but ever since we were little, Marcus was able to fall asleep at a moment's notice. I always thought it was a neat talent, but he was a light sleeper anyway. Just one more little quirk about him I knew now, I guess.

I gave a sigh and looked up at the ceiling. I figured I oughta get a little more sleep too. I forgot to ask Marcus exactly how much longer I'd be in here for, but like he said, I could just ask him in the morning. Honestly, there was a lot that I didn't ask him that was on my mind, but like he said, there was always the morning for me to wait for. Still, though, this episode with Feraligatr left me wondering how many more mornings there would be. We were all here for each other, yeah, but what happens the one time we're not together?

I huffed and shook my head. I was overthinking what had happened. All we had to worry about was Vale, and we could handle whatever he threw at us, really. The morning would come, followed by the next, and plenty more after that. There was plenty of time in the future for us.


	24. Entry 25: Out of the Frying Pan

What went on right after I got that chance to talk with Marie was a bit on the uninteresting side compared to what preceded those events, so a brief summary of what happened, followed by the next interesting thing to happen, feels warranted.

Unfortunately, Marie and Princess weren't going to get well enough to battle for two more days, and with Vale's people able to attack at any time, I didn't want to waste any more time than necessary. I went ahead and took on the Gym that same day, using only Tiny, Ki, and Blitz, hoping that I'd only need the first two. Luck really worked in my favor, however. I led with Tiny, and Crasher Wake led with Gyarados, which meant I didn't have Ki out there to break even advantage-wise. Also in my favor was Tiny using Metronome and pulling out a Thunderbolt at the beginning of the battle, which made the rest of his battle easy. Next up was a Quagsire, and Ki had a double advantage there, so no more needed to be said. Crasher Wake's last Pokemon, Floatzel, however, was a bit tricky. It was remarkably powerful, and it actually knocked both Ki and Tiny out. Fortunately, both had already done a number on Floatzel, so despite Blitz's disadvantage, she was able to finish the fight, and we got our Fen Badge secured!

Shortly thereafter, I brought Ki, Tiny, and Blitz to the Pokemon Center, and took the opportunity to fill Marie and Princess in on what happened. Both were fully awake and recovering now, but Nurse Joy made it clear that Princess wasn't to talk for a few more days so her throat could heal properly. Despite that, though, she told me their recovery was going better than expected, and we'd be able to leave first thing the next morning.

That said, there was still half a day ahead in which we were stuck in Pastoria City. Doing some thinking, I realized that the next two gyms were focused around Steel and Ice respectively, so I was gonna have to rely on Blitz a lot. That in mind, I took her out with me to Route 212 for a little bit of special training. I gave Ki and Tiny some battles too, just to make sure they kept up to par as well, but that afternoon was primarily Blitz's show.

Just as the sun began to set, I decided that we had done enough training. I was about to return Blitz, who looked a bit winded but seemed to be feeling good, when I suddenly heard a somewhat familiar voice behind me.

"Well now, ain't Ah in luck ta see ya here?"

I turned around, and saw that the source of the voice was a trainer slightly older than me who looked weirdly familiar. Shaggy blonde hair, a black-and-white cap with a lightning bolt on it, blue denim jacket, blank green shirt, grey slacks, and black tennis shoes. Yes, he seemed familiar enough, but I couldnt remember where I'd seen him before.

"Howdy again, stranger," the trainer said to me with a friendly smile. "Nice ta run into ya again... in a figurative way a' speakin' this time."

"Figurative...?" I asked. Just then, I realised where I'd seen this guy before. "Oh, I remember you! We met back at the resort, didn't we?"

"Heh, if ya could say that," he replied as he approached. He then extended his hand out towards me. "Name's Colton. Pleased to meet'cha."

I smiled and shook his hand. "Marcus. Pleasure's all mine. You taking on the Sinnoh League too?"

"Little ol' me a fancy strong trainer like that?" he asked. "Pssh, naw. Ah'm just a drifter. Born 'n raised in Johto, thought Ah'd leave ta see the world when Ah got old enough. Ah take it yer out challengin' Gyms an' such, then?"

I nodded. "I am."

He gave a soft smile, then turned his attention to Blitz, who was standing beside me at this point. "Hey, ya mind if Ah take a look at yer Ponyta? They're among my favorites."

I looked down at Blitz. She nodded, though her expression seemed a bit skeptical. I turned back to Colton and gave him a nod, and stepped back for him.

"Well, ain't you a beaut?" Colton said as he leaned down and got a closer look at Blitz. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cube of sugar, which he offered to her. Blitz was more than happy to lean in and eat the whole thing in one bite, making soft happy cries as she chewed. Colton then reached up and rubbed Blitz's head, although he frowned as he noticed he wasn't getting burned by her flames. "Aw, you too?"

"Her too?" I asked. "You know what's wrong with her flames?"

Colton stood up and turned to me. "My Ma had a Rapidash with the same problem when Ah was a tyke. A little love, a little care, all tender, and he's happy an' healthy to this day. Yer little filly here'll be just fine."

I gave a slight chuckle. Blitz seemed a little off from her flames being mentioned again, but she didn't seem to mind overall as she was still occupied by the sugar. "Heh... you're a fan of Ponyta, huh?" I asked Colton.

"You'd be right, there," he replied while flicking the brim of his cap. "Actually, Rapidash, the evolved form o' Ponyta, would make the fifth in a collection Ah'm trying ta put together." He then reached down, unclipped four Pokeballs from his belt, and tossed them out behind him. From the Pokeballs emerged a Girafarig, a Mudsdale, a Summer Sawsbuck, and a Zebstrika, the last of whom seemed to carry himself as an Alpha of sorts despite being the shortest of the pack.

"Ah..." I said as I eyed these Pokemon. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Blitz take a nervous step backward. "Quite a team you've got there."

"Heh, thanks," Colton replied as he reached up and stroked his Zebstrika's face, who nuzzled back. "Storm here was mah first Pokemon. Raised 'im from egg through colthood, and now we're here. He helped me catch all three Duo, the Girafarig ya see here, Bud, my Mudsdale right here, and last but not least, Harvest, this lovely Sawsbuck ya see."

I nodded as Colton introduced his Pokemon. Just looking at them, they all carried an odd air of pride. Granted, their pride seemed somewhat warranted, as each one seemed rather physically strong, likely capable of whatever farm work Colton used to be responsible for... or possibly still was, I didn't know.

"Well... it's nice to meet you and all your Pokemon," I said to Colton. "But what brings you over to Blitz and I in the first place?"

Colton gave a slight chuckle and flipped the brim of his hat. "Ah told ya Ah'm puttin' a collection together, right?" he asked. He then pointed directly at me. "Ah challenge ya to a battle, Marcus, and if Ah win, ya trade Blitz right there over to me!"

"What!?" I shouted, stepping forward to put myself between Colton and Blitz while giving him an intense glare. "How could you suggest something like that?"

To my surprise, Colton started laughing. But it wasn't a malicious or evil laugh. It was like he'd just cracked some kind of joke.

"Pfft, oh man, you should see yer face right now," he said between laughs. I dropped my guard slightly, feeling rather puzzled.

"What... what's going on with you?" I asked him.

Colton took a second to catch his breath before looking up at me. He was still smiling, although he looked like he suddenly became a bit serious. "It's true, Ah'm lookin' fer a Ponyta or Rapidash to call my own, but Ah ain't gonna up an' steal yer's. That'd be low a' me. That said..." Colton turned around and returned all of his Pokemon, then started walking away. "C'mon, Marcus. We've got sum'n to talk about. Regardin' a certain acquaintance of yer's. One with... many faces, we'll say."

"Many faces...?" I asked. Suddenly, something clicked into place, and I got defensive again. "You're talking about Va-"

"Yer not very good at havin' a bounty on yer capture, are ya?" Colton interrupted. "Yer lucky Ah found ya first 'fore anyone competent. Now keep quiet an' walk like we're off ta get dinner or sum'n. Ah promise Ah won't hurt'cha."

I didn't follow, but held firm, and Blitz stood ready for battle next to me. I was worried what might happen if things got violent, though. Blitz was already tired, and neither Tiny nor Ki were in much better shape.

"You were sent by him, weren't you?" I asked. Once I said this, Colton stopped walking and turned to face me.

"Yer two Pokemon down - both in a rather vulnerable position, Ah might add - and the three ya do have are fatigued. Ya really think that if Ah wanted ta take you down, Ah wouldn't just go fer it?" Colton put his hands in his pockets and looked down with a grin. "Tell ya what we'll do. We'll both go to the Pokemon Center, and drop both our teams off with Nurse Joy. That way, it'll jus' be the two of us, and we can jus' talk. That sound fair?"

I continued to glare at him. "Why should I trust you?" I asked.

"Thought ya'd never ask," he said with an odd glint in his eye. "Ah hear talk yer on the lookout fer a certain... Sandslash, Ah presume?"

"Sandslash...?" I asked. In that moment, something clicked for me, and I dropped my guard a bit. "What makes you think I'm looking for a Sandslash?"

Colton flipped the brim of his cap and chuckled a bit. "Ah've done mah homework on our purple friend," he said. "There's a lot more goin' on than ya might first believe. Now c'mon. Ah bet yer itchin' ta know what Ah know."

With that, Colton turned and started walking again. I clenched my fist, standing still for a while. I had so many questions for this trainer, who claimed to have been sent by Vale, but also claimed to want to help me find... that man. I was indecisive for a moment before I felt Blitz rub up against my leg. I looked down at her, and she was looking up at me with a concerned expression. With a sigh, I reached down and gave her head a soft rub.

"Not like we could run anyway," I said to her. I then returned Blitz, then started following Colton to the Pokemon Center.

(***)

On our way back to the Pokekon Center, Colton did all he could to show me that the four Pokemon he had before were the only ones on him, and those were indeed the four that he handed over to Nurse Joy, just as I handed my last three. We were both officially on even ground. At least, that's what I hoped.

Colton suggested we went to the Great Marsh to talk. I was frankly sick of that place as it stood, but I figured that was our best bet for getting to talk without having others eavesdropping. I did, however, suggest we go to a segment as far away from the Emperor and the Prince as possible, as we didn't exactly part on amicable terms, although I didn't explain that much to Colton. Thankfully, he didn't pry, either.

Once we got off the tram and walked a little ways, Colton started talking.

"Vale's none too happy 'bout ya, Marcus," he said. "Iffn ya don't mind me askin', what'd ya do to drive a Maractus up his ass?"

I gave a slight chuckle before replying. "I... might've burned one of his establishments to the ground and 'kidnapped' one of his girls and one of his sons."

"Heh, ya don't say?" Colton asked. "That'd explain why such a powerful Pokemon has such a huge bounty on ya. Still, Ah gotta commend yer brashness."

"Enough about my exploits, though," I quickly said. "What do you want from me?"

Colton stopped walking, and I stopped right behind him. He then turned around d and held out four fingers. "You've got the attention of four powerful bounty hunters, " he said to me. "Ah take it ya wanna hear about 'em? The first is a man called Dimitri, who's thought to appear before his targets an' swallow them in darkness, never to be seen agai-"

"Dealt with," I interrupted with a smirk. "The guy tried to catch me on a beach, but he overheated himself."

"Oh..." Colton said. "Ah was... kinda hopin' ta see that Dusknoir of his..." I was surprised to hear he had a Dusknoir I never got to see, but that wasn't my concern at the moment.

Colton shook his head and continued. "Anyway, the second one is a man called Diego, who uses a buncha Pokemon resurrected from fossils ta lay waste to wherever he thinks his target might be. His maliciousness makes him a scarier monster than his actual Pokemon, honestly. Yer not likely ta beat 'im without help, which'd be where Ah came in."

I gave a slow nod. "I'd ask why you're helping me like this, but I take it you're saving that for the end?"

"Hmm? Ah could tell ya now if ya really wanna know," Colton replied. "Ah jus' wanna see these people get taken down, that's all. They're monsters who don't deserve freedom, ya feel me?"

I rubbed my chin and hummed for a bit. "So then why'd you take Vale's bounty on me, then?" I asked. "Are you really just that determined to bring these guys to justice, or are you hiding an ulterior motive?"

Colton shook his head. "Ah found out you had a Ponyta, and one Ah assumed was rather strong if she could burn an entire daycare down an' get away," he replied. "Thought ya'd might wanna trade 'er over to me, but Ah guess Ah already took mah shot there."

I looked at him quizzically. Somehow, I got the feeling there was a lot more to him than he was letting on. "Alright, guess I'll press for more later," I said. "Now, about the Sandslash's trainer-"

"Er... 'bout that," Colton interrupted. "He's not actually one o' the first four Vale's sent after ya. But, Ah think ya might attract 'im eventually. 'Specially if ya take the other three down."

I nodded slowly. "Then, I take it you're one of the last two that Vale's sent after me?" I asked. "From what I got out of Dimitri, you're rather strong."

Colton chuckled and flipped the brim of his hat. "It's all the result of a life o' honest farmwork," he said. "But believe me, Ah'm on yer side, and yer in good hands." There was a brief pause before Colton continued. "Finally, we get to someone Ah'm afraid Ah know next to nothing about. What Ah do know, however, is that it's a Psychic-type Pokemon that enters the minds of its targets and destroys 'em from within. The few that know about it can't even confirm whether'not it's a wild Pokemon or if it has a trainer. Honestly, that one might be yer most dangerous."

I nodded slowly before replying. "Then that leaves me with one more question for now," I said. "What makes you so sure Diego and that Psychic-type aren't after us right now?"

"Diego ain't all that smart, from what I understand," Colton replied, "but he follows a pattern. He attacks populated areas, and Pastoria City don't fit the bill. As fer yer Psychic-type... honestly, Ah can't guarantee nothin'. Ah'm takin' a gamble by hopin' Ah found ya 'fore it did. Don' worry, though. Ah think we're safe if we haven't been attacked yet."

I took a second to glare at Colton for a bit, but then sighed and shook my head. "Alright, I think now it's time for you to spill it," I said. "What do you want from me? And why should I trust you? You told me you knew something about the man who killed my brother, but you've been dodging the subject."

Colton looked back at me. "Vale's bounty is likely to attract more'n just us four," he said. "If this is the type o' man Ah think he is, yer bounty'll eventually attract him, too. That said, Ah bet more'll show up over time. Yer in a right pickle, Marcus, but that's what Ah'm here for."

I raised my eyebrow. "Oh really? And what do you get out of protecting me like this? From what you've said, you're putting your own life in the line by doing this. And don't give me shit about some sense of justice or anything like that. I want to know why you expect me to trust you."

Colton sighed and rubbed his head, turning away from me. "Ah... can't tell ya," he said. "Ah jus' made a promise, and Ah gotta leave it at that, 'kay? Ah don' got a stake in yer safety other than someone asked me to oblige. They wanted ya outta Vale's hands, and needed me to help. That satisfy ya?"

"It really doesn't," I replied without the slightest hesitation. "Any malicious bounty hunter - as you've admitted to being, I might add - could cook up something as believable as that."

This seemed to make Colton mad. He clenched his fist and took a step toward me, getting almost right in my face. "Ah didn't wanna hafta do this..." he said. "Ah swear on the soul of mah brother, Macintosh, that as long as Ah stay with ya, Ah won't do a thing to harm ya. THAT work for ya, Marcus?"

I stayed silent as i glared back at him, but took a step back. If this guy was willing to invoke his brother for me like this... "I take it you skipped the part where you'd insist you would follow me anyway if I refused?" I asked. "Then... I guess you've got yourself a deal, Colton."

As soon as I said that, Colton's expression seemed to soften, and he nodded. "Thanks a ton, Marcus," he said. "Now that we've come to an agreement, whaddya say we start over?" He then brought his hand up to his face, spit into his palm, and held it out to me. "Name's Colton. Pleased to meet'cha."

I reeled back slightly from the gesture. I knew what he was going for, but that didn't mean I was entirely on board with it. Still, I knew that country folk like him took this gesture seriously, so I couldn't refuse if I wanted to. Reluctantly, I did the same thing, spitting into my own palm, and then shaking hands with him.

"Marcus. Pleasure's all mine."


End file.
